Development and assessment of a knitted shape memory alloy-based multifunctional elbow brace

2022 ◽  
pp. 152808372110569
Author(s):  
Woo-Kyun Jung ◽  
Soo-Min Lee ◽  
Sung-Hoon Ahn ◽  
Juyeon Park

Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that affects joint cartilage and can cause severe pain and disability. Minor neglected injuries may also result in other diseases that affect daily life. Various attempts have been made to develop wearable auxiliary devices using functional fabrics, but few have simultaneously provided both heat and pressure. Using knitted shape memory alloy (SMA) fabric, a module was manufactured that achieved bending and contraction during operation. An elbow brace that simultaneously provided heat and pressure was developed using this module. Subjective evaluation and measurements of the range of motion (ROM), changes in skin temperature ( T sk ), clothing pressure ( P c), and blood flow ( F b) were conducted on the elbow brace while being worn by 10 participants. The multifunctional elbow brace (MFEB) developed in this study generated pressure and heat that increased T sk and P c, ultimately increasing F b. In addition, the ROM of the elbow joint was increased after actuating the elbow brace. Subjective evaluation of the heat and pressure sensation demonstrated its applicability to the human body. We confirmed that the elbow brace had a positive effect on F b and increased the ROM of the joint. These results show the applicability of smart textiles to the development of various wearable devices.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorin Copaci ◽  
Enrique Cano ◽  
Luis Moreno ◽  
Dolores Blanco

The elbow joint is a complex articulation composed of the humeroulnar and humeroradial joints (for flexion-extension movement) and the proximal radioulnar articulation (for pronation-supination movement). During the flexion-extension movement of the elbow joint, the rotation center changes and this articulation cannot be truly represented as a simple hinge joint. The main goal of this project is to design and assemble a medical rehabilitation exoskeleton for the elbow with one degree of freedom for flexion-extension, using the rotation center for proper patient elbow joint articulation. Compared with the current solutions, which align the exoskeleton axis with the elbow axis, this offers an ergonomic physical human-robot interface with a comfortable interaction. The exoskeleton is actuated with shape memory alloy wire-based actuators having minimum rigid parts, for guiding the actuators. Thanks to this unusual actuation system, the proposed exoskeleton is lightweight and has low noise in operation with a simple design 3D-printed structure. Using this exoskeleton, these advantages will improve the medical rehabilitation process of patients that suffered stroke and will influence how their lifestyle will change to recover from these diseases and improve their ability with activities of daily living, thanks to brain plasticity. The exoskeleton can also be used to evaluate the real status of a patient, with stroke and even spinal cord injury, thanks to an elbow movement analysis.


Author(s):  
Cody Wright ◽  
Onur Bilgen

A compliant hinge is proposed to replace conventional revolute joints for a shape memory alloy actuated arm-like mechanism. The arm-like mechanism is designed to replicate the articulation of the elbow joint, linking the humerus and radius, while being able to lift a dead load using a shape memory alloy wire as the biceps muscle. A parametric analysis on hinge geometry and Young’s modulus is performed to determine if a feasible geometric and material solution exists based on the application requirements. The results indicate optimum solutions are logarithmically correlated between modulus of elasticity and width-to-thickness ratio. Overlaying the results of the parametric study onto an Ashby chart indicates that large hinge widths are necessary. These results indicate more complex geometries are needed for arm-like manipulator applications.


Author(s):  
Hyung-Bin Park ◽  
Dong-Ryul Kim ◽  
Hyung-Jung Kim ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Min-Woo Han ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 112 ◽  
pp. 519-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Cai ◽  
J. X. Zhang ◽  
Y. F. Zheng ◽  
L. C. Zhao

Author(s):  
Ricardo Alexandre Amar de Aguiar ◽  
Pedro Manuel Calas Lopes Pacheco ◽  
Brenno Tavares Duarte

Author(s):  
Marcelio Ronnie Dantas de Sá ◽  
Armando Wilmans Nunes da Fonseca Júnior ◽  
Yuri Moraes ◽  
Antonio Almeida Silva

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