scholarly journals A novel concept for low-cost non-electronic detection of overloading in the foot during activities of daily living

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 202035
Author(s):  
Panagiotis E. Chatzistergos ◽  
Nachiappan Chockalingam

Identifying areas in the sole of the foot which are routinely overloaded during daily living is extremely important for the management of the diabetic foot. This work showcases the feasibility of reliably detecting overloading using a low-cost non-electronic technique. This technique uses thin-wall structures that change their properties differently when they are repeatedly loaded above or below a tuneable threshold. Flexible hexagonal thin-wall structures were produced using three-dimensional printing, and their mechanical behaviour was assessed before and after repetitive loading at different magnitudes. These structures had an elastic mechanical behaviour until a critical pressure ( P crit = 252 kPa ± 17 kPa) beyond which they buckled. Assessing changes in stiffness after simulated use enabled the accurate detection of whether a sample was loaded above or below P crit (sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 100%), with the overloaded samples becoming significantly softer. No specific P crit value was targeted in this study. However, finite-element modelling showed that P crit can be easily raised or lowered, through simple geometrical modifications, to become aligned with established thresholds for overloading (e.g. 200 kPa) or to assess overloading thresholds on a patient-specific basis. Although further research is needed, the results of this study indicate that clinically relevant overloading could indeed be reliably detected without the use of complex electronic in-shoe sensors.

Author(s):  
Xiangyu You ◽  
Chengcong Ye ◽  
Ping Guo

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of microscale structures with high resolution (sub-micron) and low cost is still a challenging work for the existing 3D printing techniques. Here we report a direct writing process via near-field melt electrospinning to achieve microscale printing of single filament wall structures. The process allows continuous direct writing due to the linear and stable jet trajectory in the electric near-field. The layer-by-later stacking of fibers, or self-assembly effect, is attributed to the attraction force from the molten deposited fibers and accumulated negative charges. We demonstrated successful printing of various 3D thin wall structures (freestanding single walls, double walls, annular walls, star-shaped structures, and curved wall structures) with a minimal wall thickness less than 5 μm. By optimizing the process parameters of near-field melt electrospinning (electric field strength, collector moving speed, and needle-to-collector distance), ultrafine poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers have been stably generated and precisely stacked and fused into 3D thin-wall structures with an aspect ratio of more than 60. It is envisioned that the near-field melt electrospinning can be transformed into a viable high-resolution and low-cost microscale 3D printing technology.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyu You ◽  
Chengcong Ye ◽  
Ping Guo

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of microscale structures with high-resolution (submicron) and low-cost is still a challenging work for the existing 3D printing techniques. Here, we report a direct writing process via near-field melt electrospinning (NFME) to achieve microscale printing of single filament wall structures. The process allows continuous direct writing due to the linear and stable jet trajectory in the electric near field. The layer-by-layer stacking of fibers, or self-assembly effect, is attributed to the attraction force from the molten deposited fibers and accumulated negative charges. We demonstrated successful printing of various 3D thin-wall structures with a minimal wall thickness less than 5 μm. By optimizing the process parameters of NFME, ultrafine poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers have been stably generated and precisely stacked and fused into 3D thin-wall structures with an aspect ratio of more than 60. It is envisioned that the NFME can be transformed into a viable high-resolution and low-cost microscale 3D printing technology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.B.V. Pettersson ◽  
M. Salmi ◽  
P. Vallittu ◽  
W. Serlo ◽  
J. Tuomi ◽  
...  

Background and Aims: Additive manufacturing or three-dimensional printing is a novel production methodology for producing patient-specific models, medical aids, tools, and implants. However, the clinical impact of this technology is unknown. In this study, we sought to characterize the clinical adoption of medical additive manufacturing in Finland in 2016–2017. We focused on non-dental usage at university hospitals. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire containing five questions was sent by email to all operative, radiologic, and oncologic departments of all university hospitals in Finland. Respondents who reported extensive use of medical additive manufacturing were contacted with additional, personalized questions. Results: Of the 115 questionnaires sent, 58 received answers. Of the responders, 41% identified as non-users, including all general/gastrointestinal (GI) and vascular surgeons, urologists, and gynecologists; 23% identified as experimenters or previous users; and 36% identified as heavy users. Usage was concentrated around the head area by various specialties (neurosurgical, craniomaxillofacial, ear, nose and throat diseases (ENT), plastic surgery). Applications included repair of cranial vault defects and malformations, surgical oncology, trauma, and cleft palate reconstruction. Some routine usage was also reported in orthopedics. In addition to these patient-specific uses, we identified several off-the-shelf medical components that were produced by additive manufacturing, while some important patient-specific components were produced by traditional methodologies such as milling. Conclusion: During 2016–2017, medical additive manufacturing in Finland was routinely used at university hospitals for several applications in the head area. Outside of this area, usage was much less common. Future research should include all patient-specific products created by a computer-aided design/manufacture workflow from imaging data, instead of concentrating on the production methodology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás A. Georgiou ◽  
Davide Asnaghi ◽  
Alva Liang ◽  
Alice M. Agogino

This paper describes the development and testing of a low-cost three-dimensional (3D) printed wearable hand exoskeleton to assist people with limited finger mobility and grip strength. The function of the presented orthosis is to support and enable light intensity activities of daily living and improve the ability to grasp and hold objects. The Sparthan Exoskeleton prototype utilizes a cable-driven design applied to individual digits with motors. The initial prototype is presented in this paper along with a preliminary evaluation of durability and performance efficacy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 2633366X2096736
Author(s):  
Wangwang Yu ◽  
Lili Dong ◽  
Wen Lei ◽  
Jianan Shi

The research aim of this work was to understand the effects of the soil burial of rice straw on the morphology and properties of 3D-printed rice straw powder (RSP)/polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites. The rice straw buried in the soil for various days was grounded and sieved into powder at 120 mesh. The RSP was then mixed with PLA at a mass ratio of 15/100 and the mixture was extruded into filament, followed by a fused deposition modeling 3D printing process. The as-prepared products were characterized in terms of morphological, mechanical, thermal, and nonisothermal crystallization properties. The results show that cavities with large holes induced by fused deposition modeling exhibit on the cross section of RSP/PLA biocomposite. The longer the burial duration of rice straw, the more the cavities with large holes could be observed on the surface. Therefore, soil burial of rice straw improved the thermal stability of the biocomposites while depressing their mechanical properties due to the amplification of the cavities. The crystallinity of the biocomposites was maintained at a low level (<9%) before and after the soil burial process.


Author(s):  
Peng Xi ◽  
Qian Cong ◽  
Jin Xu ◽  
Kun Qiu

The vacuum chuck is widely used in industrial and daily life. By observing the macroscopic and microscopic morphology of octopus sucker, it is found that the sucker surface has concave–convex continuous wave shape with large number of non-smooth morphologies. The sealing mechanism of octopus sucker is analyzed according to its surface morphology before and after adsorption, and the non-smooth morphology is found to greatly enhance the adsorption. Based on the bionics theory, the non-smooth surface morphology of octopus sucker is applied to improve the sucker adsorption. And the bionic suckers with three types of grooves are designed. According to the model of standard and bionic suckers, the sucker entities are obtained by the method of three-dimensional printing and casting. And the tensile tests of suckers are carried out. The stress of suckers is analyzed by finite element method, and the sealing mechanism is discussed. According to the test results, the bionic sucker has larger adsorption force. And the ring sucker possesses the best adsorption performance. Compared with the standard sucker, the maximum adsorption force of the bionic sucker is increased by 12.2% in the air and 25.2% underwater. The adsorption force of bionic sucker becomes larger with the increase in the groove number; when the groove number increases to a certain extent, the adsorption force becomes smaller. The deformation of non-smooth morphology during adsorption makes the bionic sucker have a larger contact area. That is the reason why the bionic sucker has good adsorption performance. The bionic design of sucker can provide a new method to improve its adsorption.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (05) ◽  
pp. 409-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Strøm ◽  
Boaz Arzi ◽  
Derek Cissell ◽  
Frank Verstraete

SummaryObjective: To describe the clinical features and results of treatment of true ankylosis and pseudoankylosis of the temporomandibular joint in dogs.Methods: This study was a retrospective case series. Ten client-owned dogs that were presented for inability to open the mouth or a severely decreased range of motion of the temporomandibular joint were included. Information on the surgical procedures performed and the perioperative complications were documented. Three-dimensional printing of the skull was performed in four dogs.Results: Two dogs were diagnosed with temporomandibular joint ankylosis and seven dogs with pseudoankylosis. One dog had evidence of combined temporomandibular joint ankylosis and pseudoankylosis. Of the seven dogs with pseudoankylosis, six had an osseous fusion involving the zygomatic arch and mandible. Surgical treatment was performed in nine dogs and a revision surgery was needed in one dog. Follow-up ranged from five months to eight years (mean: 48.6 months). Eight out of nine dogs that were treated surgically regained the ability to open their mouth, but six dogs never regained a fully normal temporomandibular joint range of motion.Clinical significance: Temporomandibular joint ankylosis and pseudoankylosis are uncommon in the dog. Surgical treatment for temporomandibular joint ankylosis or pseudoankylosis in dogs is a successful option and carries a prognosis dependent on patient-specific abnormalities. Computed tomography complemented with three- dimensional printing is valuable for understanding the extent of abnormalities and for preoperative planning.Supplementary material for this paper is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.3415/VCOT-15-11-0189.


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