NRI: Collaborative Research: Dynamic Braces for Quantification and Treatment of Abnormal Curves in the Human Spine

NRI：合作研究：用于量化和治疗人体脊柱异常曲线的动态支架

• 批准号: 1527133
• 负责人: Charles Kim
• 金额: $ 14.2万
• 依托单位: Bucknell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1527133&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NRI; Collaborative; Research; Dynamic; Braces

Idiopathic scoliosis is a condition in which the spine develops a strong left/right curvature, forming a C- or S-shape instead of a straight line. Approximately 2% to 3% of adolescents suffer from the disorder, with about 1 in 500 required to wear corrective braces until skeletal maturity, and about 1 in 5,000 requiring spinal surgery. A typical scoliosis brace is worn around the trunk and hips, and completely immobilizes the upper body, which substantially degrades quality of life. This project will demonstrate a hybrid dynamic brace for correcting scoliosis, while minimally affecting the activities of daily living. Compliant passive braces tailored to the treatment needs of individual wearers allow greater freedom of movement, but cannot respond to changes in posture or more gradual evolution of the wearer's condition. Active braces provide dynamically responsive corrective forces, but require power-hungry motors, and greatly increase weight and complexity. This project will demonstrate a hybrid approach, providing freedom of movement and dynamic response, but without the weight and power requirements of fully active designs. The result is essentially a wearable robot that continually monitors and responds to the needs of the user.This project will lay the scientific foundation for the design of dynamic brace co-robots, and the evaluation of their effectiveness for both quantification and treatment of the abnormal spine. These dynamic braces will be designed to modulate the corrective forces on the spine in desired directions while still allowing the users to perform typical activities of daily life. The project will investigate the hypothesis that dynamic braces have the potential to transform treatment in this field, as these can provide effective control of corrective forces on the spine both spatially and temporally. The scientific studies will characterize the spatial stiffness of the spine in a specific pose and during different functions. The studies will target treatment outcomes in subjects with abnormal spine. Furthermore, this project will train students in interdisciplinary research and will result in future workshops and courses appealing to engineers, clinicians, medical caregivers, and high school students, motivating careers in STEM.

特发性脊柱侧弯是脊柱形成较强的左/右曲率，形成C-或S形代替直线的情况。大约2％至3％的青少年患有这种疾病，其中约1个中的500人戴着矫正牙套，直到骨骼成熟到骨骼成熟，而在5,000个需要脊柱手术中约有1个。典型的脊柱侧弯支架在树干周围和臀部周围穿着，并完全固定上身，从而实质上降低了生活质量。该项目将展示用于纠正脊柱侧弯的混合动力支架，同时影响日常生活的活动。适合各个佩戴者治疗需求的符合性的被动括号可以使运动自由度更大，但不能应对姿势变化或佩戴者状况的逐渐发展。活跃的牙套提供动态响应的纠正力，但需要耗电的电动机，并大大增加重量和复杂性。该项目将展示一种混合方法，提供运动的自由和动态响应，但没有完全主动设计的重量和功率要求。结果本质上是一个可穿戴的机器人，它不断监视和响应用户的需求。该项目将为设计动态支架共同机器人设计奠定科学基础，并评估其对异常脊柱的量化和治疗的有效性。这些动态牙套的设计将旨在调节脊柱上的矫正力，同时仍允许用户执行日常生活的典型活动。该项目将调查动态牙套具有转化该领域治疗的可能性的假设，因为这些假设可以在空间和时间上为脊柱上的纠正力提供有效的控制。科学研究将表征特定姿势和不同功能中脊柱的空间刚度。这些研究将针对异常脊柱受试者的治疗结果。此外，该项目将培训学生进行跨学科研究，并将导致未来的研讨会和课程吸引工程师，临床医生，医学护理人员和高中生，从而激发STEM的职业。