Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons^™

Patient Movement Monitoring Based On Imu And Deep Learning, Mohsen Sharifi Renani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of disability among the aging population in the United States and is frequently treated by replacing deteriorated joints with metal and plastic components. Developing better quantitative measures of movement quality to track patients longitudinally in their own homes would enable personalized treatment plans and hasten the advancement of promising new interventions. Wearable sensors and machine learning used to quantify patient movement could revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders. The purpose of this dissertation was to overcome technical challenges associated with the use of wearable sensors, specifically Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), as a …

Bruxism Biofeedback Device, Claire A. Dossey, Errin S. Abasolo, Isabelle A. Starr

General Engineering

This paper aims to summarize the design process for a biofeedback bruxism device, covering the necessary background research, engineering requirements, design process, prototyping, manufacturing, and testing for the device. The purpose of this project was to design an engineering solution for the treatment of bruxism. This entails both measuring and significantly reducing clenching and grinding during sleep, as many current solutions may reduce symptoms of the disorder, but do not treat bruxism itself. Engineering requirements included biocompatibility, size and weight, electrical safety, and easy of use and comfort. Many design options were proposed, and a Pugh Matrix was used to …

Biomechanical Knee Joint For Exoskeleton, Gabriel Ireton Ahern, Calloway Miller, Christianna Altamura, Eric Mailes

Mechanical Engineering

Our senior design project consisted of designing and manufacturing a biomechanically accurate, actuated knee joint to be integrated into an exoskeleton being developed by the Lower Limb Exoskeleton Assist Project (LLEAP), a part of the EMPOWER student association at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. As the human knee flexes and extends throughout gait motion, the center of rotation changes. Currently marketed exoskeletons have one point of rotation, which over constrains the knee and causes misalignment between the user and the suit [1]. Our goal was to mimic natural knee joint motion by changing the center or rotation, thus reducing misalignment …

Effects Of Noise Electrical Stimulation On Proprioception, Force Control, And Corticomuscular Functional Connectivity, Li-Wei Chou, Shiang-Lin Hou, Hui-Min Lee, Felipe Fregni, Alice Yen, Vincent Chiun-Fan Chen, Shun-Hwa Wei, Chung-Lan Kao

Engineering Science Faculty Publications

Sensory afferent inputs play an important role in neuromuscular functions. Subsensory level noise electrical stimulation enhances the sensitivity of peripheral sensory system and improves lower extremity motor function. The current study aimed to investigate the immediate effects of noise electrical stimulation on proprioceptive senses and grip force control, and whether there are associated neural activities in the central nervous system. Fourteen healthy adults participated in 2 experiments on 2 different days. In day 1, participants performed grip force and joint proprioceptive tasks with and without (sham) noise electrical stimulation. In day 2, participants performed grip force steady hold task before …

Dynamic Ankle Brace, Amulya Bajracharya

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

The dynamic ankle brace is a 3D printed brace with geometric mesh patterns and two layers of compression sleeves. The goal of the brace is to design a comfortable slim fit ankle brace that is competitive with current ankle support braces on the market. The geometric braces provided similar levels of inversion and eversion as market braces using different sizing. The braces were tested with a custom built testing rig and human participants proving 3d printed braces are flexible yet durable. User feedback indicates users desired stronger stitching of the braces overall.

Novel Microfluidic Devices To Model The Interactions Between Lymphatics And Breast Cancer, Jade Weber

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The lymphatic system is responsible for immune circulation and fluid balance in the body. It accomplishes this by draining interstitial fluid from local tissue and transferring it to lymph nodes and back into blood circulation. However, this process is implicated in many pathologies, one of the most dangerous being breast cancer metastasis to the lymph nodes. The largest factor in breast cancer patient mortality is metastasis. Lymphangiogenesis, the growth of new lymphatic vessels, has been thought to play a dynamic role in aiding breast cancer metastasis. Breast cancer tumor cells have been shown to remodel the functionality of local lymph …

Live Audiovisual Remote Assistance System (Laras) For Person With Visual Impairments, Zachary Frey, Nghia Vo, Varaha Maithreya, Tais Mota, Urvish Trivedi, Redwan Alqasemi, Rajiv Dubey

36th Florida Conference on Recent Advances in Robotics

According to "The World Report on Vision" by World Health Organization (WHO) [1], there are more than 2.2 billion people who have near or distant vision Impairments, out of which 36 million people are classified as entirely blind. This report also emphasizes the importance of social and communal support in enabling individuals with vision impairments to integrate into society and reach their full potential. While performing daily activities and navigating the environment, people with visual impairments (PVIs) often require direct or synchronous assistance [2]. Consequently, there is a growing need for automated solutions to assist in this regard. However, existing …

Cerebral Blood Flow Measured By Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy For Monitoring Depth Of Anesthesia In Piglets, Mert Deniz Polat, Kurtulus Izzetoglu, Randolph Sinahon, Meltem Izzetoglu, Shadi Malaeb

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

A General-Purpose Software Platform For Closed-Loop Neuromodulation, William Engelhardt

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Implementing closed-loop neuromodulation therapies is a challenging and expensive endeavor. It requires developing software capable of acquiring signals from a bio-signal amplifier, analysis of these signals, and initiation of precisely timed stimulation, all of which need to be accomplished in real-time with very low latency. Developing this software is difficult, as it requires a wide range of expertise ranging from interfacing with hardware to real-time signal processing. Even when successfully implementing such a system for one set of hardware, it often then only works within the laboratory that conceived it. This is because of the inherent heterogeneity in the devices …

Piezoelectric And Conductive Polymer Based Flexible Devices Enabling Cardiovascular Health Sensing And Energy Harvesting, Andrew Closson

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Piezoelectric materials show great promise for low-power wearable and implantable sensing, but their rigidity makes it challenging to integrate them with biological tissue. To address this, researchers have started exploring polymer-based functional materials that offer flexibility and are suitable for interfacing with the human body. However, these materials are still in their early stages, and a framework is necessary to illustrate how these materials, in conjunction with novel fabrication techniques and device designs, can enable the development of multi-functional sensing and energy harvesting devices.

This thesis utilizes highly scalable fabrication methods for functional polymers to build and test a flexible …

Validity Of Fitbit And Garmin Devices While Ascending And Descending Flights Of Stairs, Alan Garcia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Two popular wearable fitness device brands are Fitbit and Garmin. The validity of Fitbit and Garmin’s wrist-worn devices in measuring step counts in various settings, such as walking up and down a staircase, is unclear. PURPOSE: To determine if four devices, the Fitbit Charge 2, Fitbit Versa 2, Garmin Fēnix 5 and Garmin Vívosmart HR+ record valid measures of step count when ascending and descending flights of stairs at three different speeds. METHODS: Twenty-eight participants (n=28) were tested individually. Two devices were randomly selected to be placed on each wrist. Participants climbed up and then down one, two, and three …

The Antler: The Design And Development Of An Independent Shower Support Stand For Those Living With Lower Extremity Limb Loss, Kylie Wright

Honors Theses

While we do not often think about it, taking a shower is a privilege. Standing in the hot water, cleaning off after a long day outdoors, and taking a moment to simply relax is an experience that most people in the U.S. have participated in. However, about 1.4 million Americans do not have this luxury3. Lower extremity amputees have long been advised to shower while seated for their safety. This population is unable to experience the simple independence that accompanies standing in the shower. Despite the growing rate of amputations each year, no products are currently available on the market …

To Hear Or Not To Hear: How “Best Interest” Determinations Can Help In The Cochlear Implant Debate, Tessa Wright

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Redesigning Nasogastric Feeding Tubes To Prevent Dislodgement, Shelby Lynn Berry, Sydney Ruth Rester

Honors Theses

Seniors at the University of Mississippi studying biomedical engineering complete a senior project that seeks to solve a problem in healthcare. Our team, composed of Sydney Rester, Shelby Berry, Andrew Ulmer, and Alex Bromley, sought to improve care associated with nasogastric feeding tubes. We identified two major problems: clogging and tube dislodgement. To address the problem of dislodgement, the team crafted a new feeding tube design with a balloon attachment. The attachment prevents a patient from pulling the feeding tube out and keeps the tube from dislodging due to normal patient movement. We further determined that our tube should be …

Redesigning Nasogastric Feeding Tubes To Prevent Dislodgement, Sydney Ruth Rester, Shelby Lynn Berry

Honors Theses

Seniors at the University of Mississippi studying biomedical engineering complete a senior project that seeks to solve a problem in healthcare. Our team, composed of Sydney Rester, Shelby Berry, Andrew Ulmer, and Alex Bromley, sought to improve care associated with nasogastric feeding tubes. We identified two major problems: clogging and tube dislodgement. To address the problem of dislodgement, the team crafted a new feeding tube design with a balloon attachment. The attachment prevents a patient from pulling the feeding tube out and keeps the tube from dislodging due to normal patient movement. We further determined that our tube should be …

A Proof Of Concept For Detection Of Palato-Lingual Contact Without Intraoral Electrodes In A Human Participant, Amitava Biswas

Master's Theses

The author of this thesis conceived and investigated an unexpected electrical signal that may not be noticed during regular electroglottography (EGG) when electrodes are conventionally placed on the anterior surface of the throat. It appears that there is a measurable electrical signal from the EGG equipment when electrodes are placed over the frontal cheek (belly of zygomatic muscle), and the tongue is elevated to contact the hard palate, or the tongue is lowered to break the contact. Therefore, this phenomenon is designated as unconventional electroglottography (UEGG, Dr. Steven Cloud, private communication, July 17, 2022).

Two distinctive patterns of waveforms were …

A Wheelchair-Bed Transfer Device For Patients With Limited Mobility, Malachie Nichols

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As the population ages, eldercare becomes more important than ever, yet many caregivers lack the resources they need to safely do their jobs. For those who take care of a disabled loved-one at home or work as home health aides, basic tasks can be frustrating and even dangerous. The high physical demands of moving and lifting patients make injuries common among home health care workers. Musculoskeletal injuries to the back, shoulders, wrists, and hands are especially common. The use of transfer devices such as Hoyer lifts, slide boards, and gait belts help to make moving patients easier and safer, but …

Characterizing And Quantifying Shear-Induced Hemolysis In A Hollow Fiber Membrane System, Siddhi Bhat

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Clinical studies have shown that patients undergoing renal replacement therapy are more susceptible to developing hemolysis, or the rupturing of red blood cells. Rapid hemolysis can cause symptoms such as anorexia, vomiting, and even death in severe cases. The aim of this study is to identify how shear stress within a hollow fiber membrane impacts the level of hemolysis that occurs. This allows for the optimization of the ultrafiltration membranes that are typically used for hemofiltration treatments. The variables being studied are the radii of hollow fibers, number of fibers, and volumetric flow rate of blood being circulated. Here, we …

Mitral Valve Imaging And Biomechanics: A Workflow Towards Computational Modeling And Validation, Sam Stephens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mitral valve serves a critical role in healthy cardiac function by ensuring the unidirectional flow of oxygenated blood from the left atrium into the left ventricle. It experiences the highest pressures found within the heart and its closure is the result of a complex interaction of several different structures that, furthermore, are unique to each individual. Despite the valve’s vital role however, the specific function of these constituent structures is not fully understood. This, confounded by its asymmetric, personalized nature, make surgical interventions for the mitral valve far less effective than for its neighboring aortic valve. Efforts to overcome …

The Study Of Corrosion On Additive-Manufactured Metals., Braydan Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the corrosion mechanisms between wrought and additive-manufactured (3D-printed) copper and stainless steel. The experimental procedure consisted of measuring the open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, Tafel analysis, surface topology, and scanning electron microscopy for each metal within salt water, tap water, sulfuric acid, and synthetic body fluid (excluding copper in synthetic body fluid).

Overall, printed stainless steel was more corrosion-resistant than wrought stainless steel in tap water and synthetic body fluid based on OCP, LSV, and surface topology results. Additionally, printed copper was more corrosion-resistant than wrought …