Dynamically Adaptive Prosthetic Limbs Enabled by Autonomous Soft Robotic Interfaces

**“人体会改变形状，但假肢插座不会。”**与早晨相比，我们的身体在晚上大约矮了1.5厘米。我们的脚和手在晚上更大。我们大多数人没有注意到这些变化，因为我们穿着灵活的衣服。但是，如果你失去了一条腿，你必须戴上一个固定在你身体上的假肢，这个假肢有一个刚性的U形结构，称为_Socket_。插座由坚硬的塑料制成，以承载体重，并手工制作，通过遵循残肢的轮廓确保最佳的定制。可悲的是，75%的截肢者不高兴，因为残肢每小时都会改变形状，而他们定制的坚硬的插座却不会。这会导致持续的皮肤摩擦，导致疼痛的伤口和溃疡。在截肢者的余生中，每年更换插座4次是目前最好的解决方案，每年在英国、欧盟和美国花费71亿GB的公共资金(不包括创伤护理成本：仅在英国就需要24亿GB(英国-政府/APPG；2019))。**什么：**Roliner是一种在佩戴假肢之前戴在残肢上的袖状设备。**方法：**Roliner使用人工智能来了解残肢每小时/每天的变化并适应它们。罗林纳的人工智能读取残肢和插座之间的实时传感器数据，通过应用程序学习截肢者的舒适度偏好，并通过充气/放气罗林纳的微通道无缝而持续地调整配件。**影响：**假体装配是截肢者维持日常活动的最大障碍。截肢者依靠合适的诊所。因此，在截肢的第一年内，六分之一的截肢者会失去工作。44.3%的劳动适龄截肢者不从事经济活动，造成48.9亿GB的生产力损失(Papworth Trust，2016)。罗林纳的人工智能模拟临床实践将提供强健的行走体验，将行走能力提高3倍，减少对医院的依赖，并潜在地节省NHS 10亿GB的眼窝调整费用和24亿GB的眼窝损伤。该项目将我们从原型推进到临床测试设备。

**"The human body changes shape, but prosthetic sockets don't."**Our bodies are approximately 1.5 cm shorter in the evening, compared to the morning. Our feet and hands are larger in evenings. Most of us don't notice these changes because we wear flexible clothes.However, if you lose a leg, you must wear a prosthetic limb attached to your body with a rigid U-shaped structure called a _socket_. Sockets are made of hard plastics to carry the bodyweight and hand-made to ensure the best custom-fit by following the stump's contour. Sadly, 75% of amputees are unhappy because the stump changes shape on an hourly basis whilst their custom-made rigid sockets don't. This leads to constant skin-rubbing, causing painful bleeding wounds and ulcers. Replacing sockets up to 4 times annually for the rest of amputees' lives is currently the best solution, costing £7.1billion public money in the UK, EU and US each year (Excluding woundcare cost: £2.4billion in UK alone(UK-Government/APPG;2019)).**What:** Roliner is a sleeve-like device worn on the stump before wearing the prosthetic leg.**How:** Roliner uses Artificial Intelligence to understand hourly/daily changes in the stump and adapts to them. Roliner's AI reads real-time sensors' data between the stump and socket, learns amputees' comfort preferences via an app, and seamlessly and continuously adjust the fitting by inflating/deflating Roliner's micro-channels.**Impact:** Prosthesis fitting is the biggest barrier for amputees to maintain daily activities. Amputees depend upon fitting clinics. Therefore, within the first year of amputation, 1-in-6 amputees lose their jobs. 44.3% working-age amputees are economically inactive, costing £4.89billion in productivity loss(PapworthTrust,2016). Roliner's AI mimicking clinical practice will provide able-bodied-like walking experience, increase walking performance x3 times, reduce hospital dependency, and potentially save the NHS £1billion in socket adjustments, £2.4billion in socket wounds.This project advances us from prototype to a clinical-testing device.