Soft Wearable Knee Brace with Embedded Sensors for Knee Motion Monitoring

Background: Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent disease. Unloading the affected compartment using a brace is a treatment option. Objectives: To determine whether a decompressive knee brace alters loading in medial knee osteoarthritis following 2 and 8 weeks of use. Study design: Within subjects; pre- and post-testing. Methods: A total of 15 individuals with medial knee osteoarthritis attended four sessions: baseline, fitting, 2 weeks after fitting (post), and 8 weeks after fitting (final). A gait analysis was performed at baseline (without knee brace), post and final. Knee adduction impulse, first and second peak knee adduction moment, knee motion, and walking velocity were calculated. Participants also recorded hours and steps taken while wearing the brace. Results: On average, the brace was worn for more than 6 h/day. Through use of repeated-measures analysis of variance, it was determined that the knee adduction impulse and second peak knee adduction moment were reduced ( p < 0.05) at post and final compared to baseline (36% and 34% reduction in knee adduction impulse, 26% reduction in second peak knee adduction moment for post and final, respectively). Furthermore, participants walked faster with increased knee motion during stance. Conclusion: The studied decompressive brace was effective in reducing potentially detrimental forces at the knee—knee adduction impulse and second peak knee adduction moment during the stance phase of gait. Clinical relevance The data from this study suggest that use of a medial unloading brace can reduce potentially detrimental adduction moments at the knee. Clinicians should use this evidence to advocate for use of this noninvasive treatment for people presenting with medial knee osteoarthritis.

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Gait recovery in healthy subjects: Perturbations to the knee motion with a Smart Knee Brace

2010 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics ◽

10.1109/aim.2010.5695918 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Mehmet Temel ◽

Katherine S. Rudolph ◽

Sunil K. Agrawal

Keyword(s):

Healthy Subjects ◽

Knee Brace ◽

Knee Motion

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Gait Recovery in Healthy Subjects: Perturbations to the Knee Motion with a Smart Knee Brace

Advanced Robotics ◽

10.1163/016918611x588862 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 25 (15) ◽

pp. 1857-1877 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mehmet Temel ◽

Katherine S. Rudolph ◽

Sunil K. Agrawal

Keyword(s):

Healthy Subjects ◽

Knee Brace ◽

Knee Motion

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Integrating a Potentiometer into a Knee Brace Shows High Potential for Continuous Knee Motion Monitoring

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21062150 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 2150

Author(s):

Christin Büttner ◽

Thomas L. Milani ◽

Freddy Sichting

Keyword(s):

Reference System ◽

Continuous Monitoring ◽

Real Life ◽

Knee Kinematics ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Knee Brace ◽

Knee Motion ◽

Measurement Systems ◽

Therapeutic Needs ◽

Rehabilitation Status

Continuous monitoring of knee motion can provide deep insights into patients’ rehabilitation status after knee injury and help to better identify their individual therapeutic needs. Potentiometers have been identified as one possible sensor type for continuous monitoring of knee motion. However, to verify their use in monitoring real-life environments, further research is needed. We aimed to validate a potentiometer-embedded knee brace to measure sagittal knee kinematics during various daily activities, as well as to assess its potential to continuously monitor knee motion. To this end, the sagittal knee motion of 32 healthy subjects was recorded simultaneously by an instrumented knee brace and an optoelectronic reference system during activities of daily living to assess the agreement between these two measurement systems. To evaluate the potentiometer’s behavior during continuous monitoring, knee motion was continuously recorded in a subgroup (n = 9) who wore the knee brace over the course of a day. Our results show a strong agreement between the instrumented knee brace and reference system across all investigated activities as well as stable sensor behavior during continuous tracking. The presented potentiometer-based sensor system demonstrates strong potential as a device for measuring sagittal knee motion during daily activities as well as for continuous knee motion monitoring.

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Corrosion rate monitoring of deteriorated and repaired structures through on-site linear polarization measurements using surface or embedded sensors

2nd International RILEM Symposium on Advances in Concrete through Science and Engineering ◽

10.1617/2351580028.016 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

C. Andrade

Keyword(s):

Corrosion Rate ◽

Linear Polarization ◽

Embedded Sensors ◽

Polarization Measurements

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CMOS-Process Compatible Embedded Sensors for Power Electronics Devices

10.23889/suthesis.51430 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen Batcup

Keyword(s):

Power Electronics ◽

Embedded Sensors ◽

Cmos Process

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Janus – A New Approach to Air Combat Pilot Training

Transactions on Aerospace Research ◽

10.2478/tar-2019-0019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 (4) ◽

pp. 7-22

Author(s):

Georges Bridel ◽

Zdobyslaw Goraj ◽

Lukasz Kiszkowiak ◽

Jean-Georges Brévot ◽

Jean-Pierre Devaux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Cost Effective ◽

High Energy ◽

Training System ◽

Embedded Sensors ◽

Pilot Training ◽

New Approach ◽

Combat Aircraft ◽

Air Combat ◽

The Cost

Abstract Advanced jet training still relies on old concepts and solutions that are no longer efficient when considering the current and forthcoming changes in air combat. The cost of those old solutions to develop and maintain combat pilot skills are important, adding even more constraints to the training limitations. The requirement of having a trainer aircraft able to perform also light combat aircraft operational mission is adding unnecessary complexity and cost without any real operational advantages to air combat mission training. Thanks to emerging technologies, the JANUS project will study the feasibility of a brand-new concept of agile manoeuvrable training aircraft and an integrated training system, able to provide a live, virtual and constructive environment. The JANUS concept is based on a lightweight, low-cost, high energy aircraft associated to a ground based Integrated Training System providing simulated and emulated signals, simulated and real opponents, combined with real-time feedback on pilot’s physiological characteristics: traditionally embedded sensors are replaced with emulated signals, simulated opponents are proposed to the pilot, enabling out of sight engagement. JANUS is also providing new cost effective and more realistic solutions for “Red air aircraft” missions, organised in so-called “Aggressor Squadrons”.

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Real-time monitoring of liver fibrosis through embedded sensors in a microphysiological system

Nano Convergence ◽

10.1186/s40580-021-00253-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hafiz Muhammad Umer Farooqi ◽

Bohye Kang ◽

Muhammad Asad Ullah Khalid ◽

Abdul Rahim Chethikkattuveli Salih ◽

Kinam Hyun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Culture ◽

Liver Fibrosis ◽

Real Time ◽

Hepatic Fibrosis ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Cell Monolayer ◽

Embedded Sensors ◽

Matrix Deposition ◽

Tgf Β1

AbstractHepatic fibrosis is a foreshadowing of future adverse events like liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and cancer. Hepatic stellate cell activation is the main event of liver fibrosis, which results in excessive extracellular matrix deposition and hepatic parenchyma's disintegration. Several biochemical and molecular assays have been introduced for in vitro study of the hepatic fibrosis progression. However, they do not forecast real-time events happening to the in vitro models. Trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) is used in cell culture science to measure cell monolayer barrier integrity. Herein, we explored TEER measurement's utility for monitoring fibrosis development in a dynamic cell culture microphysiological system. Immortal HepG2 cells and fibroblasts were co-cultured, and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) was used as a fibrosis stimulus to create a liver fibrosis-on-chip model. A glass chip-based embedded TEER and reactive oxygen species (ROS) sensors were employed to gauge the effect of TGF-β1 within the microphysiological system, which promotes a positive feedback response in fibrosis development. Furthermore, albumin, Urea, CYP450 measurements, and immunofluorescent microscopy were performed to correlate the following data with embedded sensors responses. We found that chip embedded electrochemical sensors could be used as a potential substitute for conventional end-point assays for studying fibrosis in microphysiological systems.

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