SBIR-STTR Award

The focus of this project is to develop a low-cost, wearable, easy to use, continuous socket/suspension monitoring system (SSMS) that tracks the relative displacement between the amputees’ residual limb and their socket or pistoning through the use of magnetic sensors. To do this, the project (1) designs and constructs the SSMS and demonstrates its capability through a bench top experiment; (2) identifies mounting locations of the SSMS to ensure that the SSMS generates reliable information about pistoning based on experimental data collected from below knee amputees; and (3) compares measurements from the SSMS and a clinical pistoning measurement approach to validate the capacity for the SSMS to monitor pistoning. The information collected from this system: (1) assists amputees in the management of their residual limb; (2) enables clinicians and prosthetists to track the performance of the socket’s suspension and make prompt clinical decisions; and (3) permits insurance companies to gather quantifiable and reliable evidence to identify prosthetic components and procedures that could reduce long-term health care costs.