A Biomimetic Prehensile Digit for Upper-Limb Prostheses

用于上肢假肢的仿生预握手指

• 批准号: 8196356
• 负责人: BRADLEY D VEATCH
• 金额: $ 16.42万
• 依托单位: INVISIBLE HAND ENTERPRISES, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-08-01 至 2013-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8196356
• 关键词: Absenteeism at work; Accounting; Acoustics; Address; Amputation; Amputees; Beryllium; Biomimetics; Bionics; Characteristics; Clinical; Commit; Contralateral; Creativeness; Cumulative Trauma Disorders; Developing Countries; Development; Devices; Digit structure; Dimensions; Disadvantaged; Distal; Elements; Engineering; Ensure; Environment; Equilibrium; Exhibits; Failure; Family; Fiber; Fingers; Fostering; Funding; Government; Hand; High Prevalence; Incidence; Joints; Left; Life; Ligaments; Limb Prosthesis; Limb structure; Manufacturer Name; Marketing; Medical; Mission; Movement; Nature; Noise; Orthopedic Surgery procedures; Pain; Performance; Phase; Plant Resins; Population; Positioning Attribute; Process; Production; Productivity; Property; Prosthesis; Quality of life; Research; Research Infrastructure; Research Personnel; Resources; Role; Secure; Services; Side; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Societies; Stigmata; Surface; System; Techniques; Technology; Tendon structure; Testing; Textiles; Thumb structure; Time; Touch sensation; Trauma; United States; United States National Institutes of Health; Upper Extremity; Validation; Woman; Work; Wrist; bone; commercialization; cost; design; empowered; grasp; improved; innovation; interest; men; programs; prototype; repaired; social; social stigma; sound; success; tool; volunteer

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Among amputation types involving the upper limbs, partial hand is the most prevalent by far and among the most challenging for prosthetists to address well. Sound side overreliance for these amputees gives rise to a high prevalence of contralateral overuse syndrome (COS), a progressive, painful, and debilitating condition. Research shows that prostheses reduce the incidence of COS by encouraging more balanced, bimanual limb usage. Consequently, there is strong interest in developing new prosthetic options for partial hand amputees. At the same time, in certain developing countries the use of forced amputations to incite terror combined with deeply entrenched cultural stigmas have produced a growing population of amputees abroad who need functional and more realistic looking hand prostheses to help them reintegrate and regain social acceptance. Invisible Hand Enterprises, LLC (IHE) is developing a new articulated digit technology it believes holds the potential to help satisfy both of these overlapping needs by making possible the creation of affordable partial and whole hand prostheses having excellent cosmesis and grasp functionality. In Phase I of this three-phase Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, IHE will complete the development of its digit technology and initiate field validation testing with volunteer subjects to assess whether commercial development is justified. IHE's digit system exploits properties and functional characteristics of synthetic textile fibers to replicate key functions of ligaments, tendons, and cartilaginous articulations within the anatomical finger, along with "bone" elements fabricated from engineering resin. This new prehensile digit technology is purposefully robust, lightweight, inexpensive, and achieves excellent adaptive grasp with strikingly lifelike movement. IHE will collaborate with Lake Prosthetics & Research, LLC (LPR) to refine its designs and maximize their clinical versatility, addressing frequently overlooked considerations such as means of attachment, adjustable positioning, and efficient cable routing. Prototype digits will be fabricated and incorporated into three (3) partial and three (3) whole hand prostheses. Volunteer subjects will wear these prostheses to assess the digits' performance under strenuous real-world operating conditions. Phase II comprises making design refinements to address issues invariably identified in Phase I, expanding testing to include more demanding tasks and environments, and establishing manufacturing infrastructure to support Phase III commercialization activities. IHE exists to create technologically and economically appropriate prosthetics options for disadvantaged amputees worldwide, enabling them to regain functionality, personal dignity, joy in living, and social, cultural, and tribal acceptance. The company's fundamental objective is to delight amputees by providing tools that help them relish living and enjoy an even higher quality of life. IHE asserts the work described in this submittal is important and worthwhile, and wholly consistent with the spirit and purposes of the National Institute of Health's (NIH) SBIR program. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Invisible Hand Enterprises' innovative new prehensile digit technology uses synthetic textile fibers to realize modular fingers that are robust, lightweight, and inexpensive. Designed for off-the-shelf use by the prosthetist, they are intended for both partial and whole hand prostheses, providing secure, stable grasp and realistic movement for excellent cosmesis. The technology purposefully addresses needs within the United States and in developing countries for technologically and economically appropriate options that help users participate and contribute to their families and society.

描述（由申请人提供）：在涉及上肢的截肢类型中，部分手截肢是迄今为止最普遍的截肢类型，也是假肢师解决起来最具挑战性的截肢类型之一。这些截肢者对健侧的过度依赖会导致对侧过度使用综合征 (COS) 的高患病率，这是一种进行性、疼痛和衰弱的病症。研究表明，假肢通过鼓励更平衡的双手肢体使用来降低 COS 的发生率。因此，人们对为部分手部截肢者开发新的假肢选择产生了浓厚的兴趣。与此同时，在某些发展中国家，利用强制截肢来煽动恐怖，加上根深蒂固的文化耻辱，导致国外截肢者人数不断增加，他们需要实用且外观更逼真的假手来帮助他们重新融入社会并重新获得社会认可。 Invisible Hand Enterprises, LLC (IHE) 正在开发一种新的铰接式数字技术，该技术相信该技术有潜力帮助满足这两种重叠的需求，使制造出经济实惠、具有出色美观和抓握功能的部分和全手假肢成为可能。在这个三阶段小型企业创新研究 (SBIR) 计划的第一阶段，IHE 将完成其数字技术的开发，并启动志愿者受试者的现场验证测试，以评估商业开发是否合理。 IHE 的数字系统利用合成纺织纤维的特性和功能特征来复制解剖手指内韧带、肌腱和软骨关节的关键功能，以及由工程树脂制成的“骨”元件。这种新的可抓握数字技术具有特意坚固、轻便、廉价的特点，并通过极其逼真的运动实现了出色的自适应抓握。 IHE 将与 Lake Prosthetics & Research, LLC (LPR) 合作，完善其设计并最大限度地提高其临床多功能性，解决经常被忽视的考虑因素，例如连接方式、可调节定位和高效的电缆布线。将制造原型手指并将其纳入三 (3) 个部分假肢和三 (3) 个整手假肢中。志愿者受试者将佩戴这些假肢来评估手指在艰苦的现实操作条件下的表现。第二阶段包括进行设计改进以解决第一阶段中不可避免地发现的问题，扩大测试范围以包括更苛刻的任务和环境，以及建立制造基础设施以支持第三阶段的商业化活动。 IHE 的宗旨是为全世界弱势截肢者创造技术上和经济上合适的假肢选择，使他们能够重新获得功能、个人尊严、生活乐趣以及社会、文化和部落的认可。该公司的根本目标是通过提供帮助截肢者享受生活并享受更高质量生活的工具来取悦他们。 IHE 声称本提交材料中描述的工作是重要且有价值的，并且完全符合美国国立卫生研究院 (NIH) SBIR 计划的精神和宗旨。 公共健康相关性：Invisible Hand Enterprises 的创新型新型抓握数字技术使用合成纺织纤维来实现坚固、轻便且廉价的模块化手指。它们专为假肢师现成使用而设计，适用于部分和全手假肢，提供安全、稳定的抓握和逼真的运动，实现出色的美容效果。该技术有目的地满足美国和发展中国家对技术和经济上适当的选择的需求，帮助用户参与家庭和社会并为其做出贡献。