Biomedical engineering students is now attempting to turn their class project into a commercial product
Rehabilitating from an ankle injury can be a slow process, depending on the extent of the damage. However, if a physical therapist or a doctor had more detailed, immediate feedback during the process, it would help form an accurate assessment.
A
team of biomedical engineering students at the University of Rhode Island
created a device for its senior capstone design project which addresses
precisely that.
The
project, called Wobble Board Force Quantification, uses sensors to quantify the
amount of force someone applies to a board which can tilt in any direction as a
person presses down on their foot. Data collected from each sensor is converted
to a numerical output and is manipulated into a heat pressure map displayed on
a screen.
Holes
were drilled into the bottom of the Wobble Board to attach the necessary wires.
The team of Zachary Dougherty, Anthony DellaGrotta, Morgan Harr and Connor Brown won first place for the Wobble Board at the Northeast Bioengineering Conference in March. The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University hosted the virtual event.
Eugene
Chabot, an adjunct professor in the College of Engineering and Craig
Simpson, a physical therapist, served as mentors for the team.
“The
Wobble Board is an example of how biomedical engineering skills can be used to
enhance rehabilitation practices through health technologies,” said Kunal
Mankodiya, URI associate professor of biomedical engineering and co-director of
the capstone program. “Despite having a much different way of working due to
COVID-19, all of our students demonstrated perseverance and adaptability. The
quality of the projects was beyond our expectations.”
The
students who developed the Wobble Board have connected with the New
England Medical Innovation Network for guidance on turning the project
into a commercial product.
“We
always encourage students to think beyond the prototypes,” said Mankodiya.
Here
was each student’s role on the project and what they learned from the
experience.
Zachary
Dougherty
The
Wobble Board was tested by applying pressure to the white insole on top of the
board, which had sensors inside it to capture data.
Software
Engineer, Ellington, Connecticut
“There
were a number of challenges in writing a code that can best display the force
quantification of the exercise. After deciding that a simple line graph of each
sensor would not be very useful to a physical rehabilitation practice, our
group finalized a concept of a contour map of the foot, assigning colors to
different quantities of pressure. From there, a complex code relating the
sensors on the wobble board to specific areas on the map, and equations to
manipulate the force in between each sensor was written. This is what gave us
the final display of an updating map of the foot throughout an exercise.”
Anthony
DellaGrotta
Testing
and Research, Coventry, Rhode Island
“A
lot of brainstorming, research, and a feasibility test were needed before we
started constructing our prototype. It was my job to address any issues that we
might have had early on, along with running tests and making measurements of
our components to see if they would fit well with our design.
There
was a lot more that goes into working on a group project than I initially
thought. From brainstorming, to conducting research, testing parts, making
measurements, designing, and constructing, we were all exposed to an
engineering working environment which will be beneficial in the future.”
Data
collected from the sensors in the insoles were converted to a numerical output,
producing a color-coded heat map on a screen.
Morgan
Harr
Hardware
Engineer, Sparta, New Jersey
“I
was in charge of creating the overall prototype, as well as constructing our
Arduino microcontroller. The microcontroller took a lot of time and patience to
create, since the wires had to be perfectly placed and soldered to the correct
area in a very small space, with nothing touching. I also helped with the 3D
model and the printing of our instability ball, the object that allows the
board to move 360 degrees.
I
learned how to work effectively in a team to get an end result we could be
proud of and how to manage my time properly. The project prepared me for
real-world engineering.”
Connor
Brown
Sensor
Design and Testing, Westport, Massachusetts
“I
designed our pressure sensor array and ran testing to verify that they were
working. We were very unfamiliar with them at first and had to do a lot of
research to fully understand how they worked. Through testing and help from our
mentors, we successfully built a system that provided accurate feedback.
I
learned a lot about working as a team, especially with the COVID-19
restrictions. We had to make many adjustments based on if someone was
quarantined or if we were unable to go to the lab.”
Fans’
Favorite
Winning the “Fans’ Favorite Award” at the conference was the URI team of Sarah Leighton, Isabella Lapolito and Madeline Setear for their Baby Sleep Monitor. Their mentor was Gözde Çay, a doctoral student studying computer engineering at URI.
