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Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

Totally Tubulair - Adjustable Nasal Cannula, Megan Bruns, Emily Mcgrath, Angelina Marchio, Olivia Renkel Jan 2022

Totally Tubulair - Adjustable Nasal Cannula, Megan Bruns, Emily Mcgrath, Angelina Marchio, Olivia Renkel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many individuals require short-term and long-term oxygen therapy. These users experience discomfort and problems with the standard nasal cannula that are compounded by issues with oxygen sources being heavy with limited supply and tubing getting tangled, kinked, or not providing enough mobility. The objective of this project was to address ergonomic issues with oxygen therapy devices to increase the ease of use for healthcare workers, patients, and families. By following the engineering design process, a prototype was developed for a nasal cannula with interchangeable prongs. The new design allows users to select a prong size that is more comfortable for …


Hands Free Fitted Shoe, Maddison Schutt, Nicole Rizkala, Elizabeth Scheatzle, Alexander Hershey, Austin Fowkes Jan 2022

Hands Free Fitted Shoe, Maddison Schutt, Nicole Rizkala, Elizabeth Scheatzle, Alexander Hershey, Austin Fowkes

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The ability to don and doff fitted shoes can be a challenge for many people including those diagnosed with diabetes, obesity, limb loss, pregnancy, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, surgical complications, and aging. Though these actions may seem trivial, the ability to independently put on shoes is necessary because it can significantly impact one’s capacity to complete everyday tasks, hold relationships, and maintain mental health. Current competitors in the market are excessively expensive, not completely hands-free, or not fully enclosed shoes, so a new design for an accessible and affordable hands-free fitted shoe could be of great benefit to the general population. …


Pandemic Healthcare: Face Shield Modification, Nathan Giunto, Sefra Manos, Brandon Ross, Catherine Seno, Catherine Howell Jan 2021

Pandemic Healthcare: Face Shield Modification, Nathan Giunto, Sefra Manos, Brandon Ross, Catherine Seno, Catherine Howell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Current face shields used in home and institutional healthcare settings create hardships for their wearers, which makes normal work routines more difficult. Recent mandates require healthcare workers to wear both surgical masks as well as plastic face shields when tending to patients. Unfortunately, the majority of face shields have been designed for hospital settings, which does not address the specific requirements for in-home therapist use. Some of the issues include their restrictive size, tendency to fog, susceptibility to glare, and sterilization and re-use issues. Our team proposes to design a face shield for homecare occupational therapists that addresses their unique …


Feasibility Study To Measure The Impact Of A Specialized Core Exercise On Metabolic Efficiency And Stability During Walking For Above Knee Amputees, Shaye M. Tiell, Sabrina R. Segretario, Serena M. Myers, Emily G. Tully Jan 2021

Feasibility Study To Measure The Impact Of A Specialized Core Exercise On Metabolic Efficiency And Stability During Walking For Above Knee Amputees, Shaye M. Tiell, Sabrina R. Segretario, Serena M. Myers, Emily G. Tully

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of improving the gait of above-knee (AK) amputees by performing daily core exercises aimed to provide an efficient and stable walking pattern. The goal of the exercise is to strengthen core muscles and form temporary neural connections in the brain aimed at improving metabolic efficiency and stability. We will be implementing the Wright Balance Core 360 Exercise Technique for completion by our subjects. Motion capture technology will be utilized in conjunction with a metabolic oxygen consumption analyzer to collect stability and metabolic efficiency data while amputees walk on a treadmill. …


Lower Extremity Exoskeleton, Kelly Haslett, Jacalyn Everhart Jan 2020

Lower Extremity Exoskeleton, Kelly Haslett, Jacalyn Everhart

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Develop a lower extremity device that provides assistance, support, and gait correction for children with cerebral palsy who display crouch gait as a symptom. The device will be designed for children ages 7-12. The device will be adjustable to accommodate varying levels of gait irregularity, weakness and human growth. The device would assist walking and stair climbing by providing bilateral support at hips, knees and ankle joints. The device will be designed for ease of donning and doffing. Battery, drive and control electronics will be designed to reside in a minimalistic backpack (outside the scope of this project).


All-Wheel-Ukraine, Sofiya Rakovska, Hannah Mcculloch, Andrey Garasimchuk, Ahmad Alsaihati Jan 2020

All-Wheel-Ukraine, Sofiya Rakovska, Hannah Mcculloch, Andrey Garasimchuk, Ahmad Alsaihati

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

We are working with a non-profit organization in Ukraine that provides wheelchairs/strollers to families of disables children who cannot afford them. Their current preferred solution is a baby stroller. The organization asked us to create a wheelchair that is cost efficient, light and collapsible to be used for children ages up to thirteen years old. We will be creating an alpha prototype wheelchair by modifying a basic wheelchair that we purchased. This modifications include adding a headrest that is adjustable and provides a sufficient support for children within the age group given to us and diverse levels of disabilities. We …


Adaptive Bike Pedals, Norman Hansen, Robert Csaky Jan 2020

Adaptive Bike Pedals, Norman Hansen, Robert Csaky

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Adaptive Bike Pedals project is set out to create a new attachment for tricycle pedals that improves on a previous model. The need for these attachments is common in rehabilitation and physical therapy centers to help patients keep their feet on pedals when they are not able to. They can also be used in homes of families that have children with disabilities, diseases, or disorders that inhibit them from keeping their feet on the pedals. There are attachments on the market already, but the problem with those models is that they are costly and made for specific pedals. The …


Upper Extremity Mobility Device, Timothy J. Grassi, Jacob R. Miller Jan 2020

Upper Extremity Mobility Device, Timothy J. Grassi, Jacob R. Miller

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project was to evaluate a clinical problem, explore possible solutions, and produce a functioning prototype that would conform to all the established guidelines and requirements. The project focused on developing an upper extremity mobility device for a singular client with limited muscle activity in his arms due to childhood polio. Our design process was governed by an adapted form of the FDA Design Control Process, 21 CFR 820.30 [1]. The outcome of this project was a functioning prototype that utilized the concept of a motorized pulley system remote controlled using a key fob. This research project …


Prosthetic Foot/Ankle Inversion & Eversion Enhancement, Jason Wiebrecht, Maddison Grimes Jan 2020

Prosthetic Foot/Ankle Inversion & Eversion Enhancement, Jason Wiebrecht, Maddison Grimes

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Modify a prosthetic foot/ankle, that currently has power at the ankle joint, for dorsiflexion/flexion so that it supplies power across a simulated subtalar joint, making the joint capable of inversion/eversion.


The Tera Multi Terrain Mobility Aid Chassis, Colton Kemp, Daniel Nicoll, Ibrahim Suleiman, Mohammad Alyami Jan 2020

The Tera Multi Terrain Mobility Aid Chassis, Colton Kemp, Daniel Nicoll, Ibrahim Suleiman, Mohammad Alyami

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The natural environment poses a significant number of obstacles and dynamic settings that makes mobility difficult for those with physical and mobility impairments. To approach this problem, a suspension was designed using inspiration from the early Mars rovers developed by NASA for traversing the varied Martian landscape. The course of the project followed the direction of a start-up through problem identification, early design generation and review, and final design production. The project outcome, through client request and proven market research, aimed to produce a multi-terrain wheelchair. The final product is a kinematic body with mobile front “legs” and a rotational …


Development And Exploration Of A Z-Shaped Foot And Ankle Internal Fixation Plate, Rhaz Shaghaghi Paul, Ian Hames, Sean Rich Jan 2019

Development And Exploration Of A Z-Shaped Foot And Ankle Internal Fixation Plate, Rhaz Shaghaghi Paul, Ian Hames, Sean Rich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper will detail the design process of developing a Z-shaped foot and ankle internal fixation plating system. Group 6: Plates for the Sole was made up of 5 team members, who worked together to accommodate their client’s request to complete a biomechanical analysis of a Z-Plate design and a construct a prototype. The Z-Plate’s purpose is to provide podiatrists with a new solution that can fit nicely on the small, irregular bones of the foot, while also remaining strong enough to withstand the forces and torques of the foot.


Investigating Alternative Measures Of Functional Recovery In Rat Sciatic Nerve Injury, Mariah L. Costa, Rebecca K. Willits Jan 2019

Investigating Alternative Measures Of Functional Recovery In Rat Sciatic Nerve Injury, Mariah L. Costa, Rebecca K. Willits

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There is a pressing need for advancements in peripheral nerve repair techniques and functional recovery evaluation methods. The rat sciatic nerve injury model is a well examined model for peripheral nerve repair. One measure of functional recovery after nerve damage, the sciatic functional index (SFI), fails in the presence of self-mutilation, toe contracture, and other abnormalities in gait. In this IACUC approved study, the sciatic nerve was severed in four experimental groups (n=5). The nerves were repaired with Arginylglycylaspartic acid-poly(ε-caprolactone) (RGD-PCL) peptide functionalized nanofibers, non-functionalized PCL control nanofibers, an isograft, and a negative control empty conduit. Video walking track analysis …


Project "Auxilia" - Jaiden's Prosthetic Arm, Christopher Halley, Lindsay Jaros, Autumn Young Jan 2019

Project "Auxilia" - Jaiden's Prosthetic Arm, Christopher Halley, Lindsay Jaros, Autumn Young

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The main objective of this project was to create a prosthetic arm for a 15 year old boy named Jaiden Foden. Jaiden was born with only one fully developed limb as a result of a genetic disorder, Hanhart Syndrome II. His right arm becomes a residual limb below the elbow, but has two fingers which act in a “claw-like” movement. Jaiden’s left arm becomes a residual limb above the elbow, and his left leg becomes a residual limb above the knee. The goal of the arm was to increase Jaiden’s overall independence and to help in completing daily tasks, such …


Wearable Hearing Accessory Technology, Tyler Cindea, Jaime Alcorn, Brooke Draper, Kyle Glascott, Ben Hanna, Robert Thoerner Jan 2018

Wearable Hearing Accessory Technology, Tyler Cindea, Jaime Alcorn, Brooke Draper, Kyle Glascott, Ben Hanna, Robert Thoerner

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

We set out in August 2017 to develop an active noise suppressing device that would be usable both in military and civilian activities. Due to constraints in knowledge and time, we decided our best course of action was to divide the project into two equal projects with the hope to be able to combine them into a single project at the end of the allotted time. This consisted of an active noise suppression device and a passive noise suppression device. The passive device would have no electronic components and the active device would be pure circuitry with no housing. This …


Mangled Extremity Simulator, Abigail Miller, Jonathan Clevenger, Nadia Gaskins Jan 2015

Mangled Extremity Simulator, Abigail Miller, Jonathan Clevenger, Nadia Gaskins

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.


Brainstorm Radiation Systems Inc, Calia Battista, Leah Krichbaum, Lauren Wickert, Cody George, Ryan Manges Jan 2015

Brainstorm Radiation Systems Inc, Calia Battista, Leah Krichbaum, Lauren Wickert, Cody George, Ryan Manges

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many different designs have been created to immobilize patients for radiation therapy of the head and neck. Options exist which result in varying degrees of patient comfort, radiation attenuation, and limitation of movement. While one requirement can be met effectively, it is difficult to design a system which adequately meets all requirements for radiation therapy. Brainstorm Radiation Systems aims to address all of these variables and transform the patient and technician experience during radiation treatment. The requirements for our head and neck immobilization design were to immobilize the patient within 3mm of movement for at least 30 minutes, and must …