Presentation

We presented on June 5, 2014. The presentation went fairly well. We projected our voices well, which was a problem we had in the preliminary presentation. Every member of our group spoke during the presentation and described a different part of the project. We all also answered questions at the end as they were asked of us. Overall, we presented our findings and project well after working for 10 weeks on it.

Final Week Report

Throughout Week 10, the final touches have been added to the brace. All the memory foam was enclosed in spandex and glued around the frame of the preexisting brace. New padding was added to the sides of the knees on the brace as well. Individual covers were added to cover each electrode. Buttons were sewn on to do this. The adjusted sleeve and brace were then placed on the patient and a video was taken to demonstrate the design. All the components of the project were incorporated together into the final presentation. We delegated every member of the group a section of the PowerPoint and then practiced our parts. The final report deadline for the project was moved until Monday. We didn't receive feedback for our report yet, so we have not adjusted our rough draft. That will be completed by the deadline.

Future Work

The project we are working is not projected to be completed to our satisfaction in the near future. Some of the ideas the group created mostly depended on how much time we put into the project at hand. The group wanted to construct a comfortable knee brace that had a functional TENS unit attached to the side of it. The main goal was accomplished, with some added features, such as a conductive fabric to maintain voltage stability and a knee sleeve containing the conductive fabric and electrodes sewed in.

We were very interested in the idea of opening up the TENS unit and changing the voltage and current of the device. Modifying the device was a very complicated procedure and the group didn't have the expertise to do it correctly without risking serious injury to someone. With more work on the main design and knowledge of circuit boards, this goal could be accomplished in a span of one extra month. Making the TENS unit more customizable would allow a large array of different voltage shock therapy treatments for people of different leg injuries.

The most complicated innovation for this project was the thought of creating an app that controlled the TENS unit wirelessly. This idea was not possible as the group didn't having prior knowledge of making an iPhone app or any of the coding behind it. This design would be very beneficial as it could eliminate the annoyance of reaching down and changing the TENS unit settings manually.

Achievements and Failures

Achievements

• Combining conductive fabric with electrodes and TENS unit
• Sewing
• Comfortably padding brace

Failures

• Did not measure mobility through brace
• Unable to quantize how much therapy was

Materials

Conductive material
http://www.amazon.com/ArgenMesh-Conductive-Shielding-Silver-Fabric/dp/B008DXBFYQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400803176&sr=8-1&keywords=conductive+fabric
Electrodes
http://www.amazon.com/FDA-Cleared-Prescription-Required-Management/dp/B00JK0AQLE/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1400803334&sr=8-12&keywords=tens+unit
Spandex
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Pants-Seamless-Inches-Short/dp/B003DC8UBI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400804033&sr=8-2&keywords=spandex
Memory foam
http://www.amazon.com/TravelMate-Memory-Pillow-manufacturer-available/dp/B00A80N626/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A30HCXNHG4VV1T

Creo Modeling of Brace

DL link: CLICK HERE

Obtaining Conductive Fabric

5/11/14
Talked to a fashion major who mentioned some conductive fabrics and said she would ask her sewing professor
5/12/14
Above mentioned fashion major recommended we talk to Genevieve Dion who is someone who works in the fashion labs and deals with conductive fabrics
If they do not provide or sell samples, we will ask about particular purchases that can be made online

Block Diagrams

To Get During WK6

What:

• Memory foam for brace comfort improvement
• spandex fabric to cover foam
• hot glue (Charlie)
• conductive material (amazon or Drexel?)
• extra electrodes

Where:

• Fabric Row 
• Amazon

Goals

Comfortability

To make our design more comfortable, we will be adding more material to the already present knee brace. We are deciding on either buying memory foam, spandex, silk, polyester or acrylic.  We may use a combination of materials to add comfort to specific areas of the knee. Comfort is a goal because our design's main function to provide relief and healing to knee pain, so being uncomfortable while wearing our product will ultimately slow down the healing process. 

Adaptability 

The variations of knee injuries go from recurrent patellar sub-laxation to an ALC tear. We want our design to be very customizable, by making it so, it can affect an array of different knee problems a person may experience. We will get this done by giving instructions with the product to instruct the user on where to place the electrodes on the product for their specific reason for the design. By having adaptability, we open a larger range of people to use our product. In doing so we are helping people recover from their problem in an accessible way.    

Progress from Week 5

Electrodes

Electrodes on test subject

Sketch of sleeve for under brace with electrodes connected

Sample of various positions of electrodes on sleeve

TENS Node Placement

Source: http://www.energywellnessproducts.com/InformationFiles/EMS_TensPainReliefGuide.pdf

Patent Search

During this past week we did some research on patents in order to discover if there were any that were too similar to our group's.  While there were many interesting patents on different type of nerve therapy and mechanical braces, there seemed to be none that involved a combination of the two in order to relieve pain through stimulation.

TENS 7000

Technical Specifications of TENS 7000

Mechanism               Technical Description
Channel                                       Dual, isolated between channels
Pulse Amplitude                 Adjustable, 0-100mA at 500ohm load each channel
Wave Form                                Asymmetrical Bi-Phasic Square Pulse
Voltage                                                0-50V (Load: 500ohm)
Power Source                                            One 9 Volt battery
Size                                               10.1cm(L)x6.1cm(W)x2.45cm(H)
Weight                                                        150 grams with battery
Pulse Rate                                   Adjustable, from 2 to 150 Hz, 1Hz/step
Pulse Width                    Adjustable, from 50 to 300microseconds, 10microseconds/step
Modes                        B(Burst), N(Normal), M(Modulation), SD1(Strength Duration), SD2
Burst Mode                                     Burst rate: Adjustable, 0.5-5Hz
                                                Pulse width adjustable, 50-300 microseconds
                                                              Frequency fixed = 100 Hz
Normal Mode            The pulse rate and pulse width are adjustable. It generates
                                           continuous stimulation based on the setting value
Modulation Mode            A combination of pulse rate and pulse width modulation.
                                      The pulse rate and width are automatically varied in a cycle pattern.
                                        The pulse width is decreased by 50% from its original setting in
               0.5 seconds, then the pulse rate is decreased by 50% from its original setting in 0.5 seconds.
                                    Total cycle time is 1 second. In this mode, pulse rate (2-150Hz) and
                                            pulse width (50-300 microseconds) are fully adjustable.
SD1 Mode                 The SD1 mode consists of automatic modulation intensity and pulse width in 40% range. The intensity is always increasing while the pulse with is decreasing and vice verse. The intensity decreased by 40% while the pulse width is increased by 40% in 5 seconds. In the next 5 seconds, the intensity is increased by 40% while the pulse width is decreased by 40%. Total cycle time is 10 seconds. Pulse rate (2-150Hz) and pulse width (50-300 microseconds) are fully adjustable.
SD2 Mode                    The SD2 mode consists of automatic modulation intensity and pulse width in
70% range. The intensity is always increasing while the pulse with is decreasing and vice verse. The intensity decreased by 70% while the pulse width is increased by 70% in 5 seconds. In the next 5 seconds, the intensity is increased by 70% while the pulse width is decreased by 70%. Total cycle time is 10 seconds. Pulse rate (2-150Hz) and pulse width (50-300 microseconds) are fully adjustable.
Timer                     Adjustable, from 1 to 60 minutes of continuous. Adjustable in 1 minute each step from 1 to 15 minutes and 5 minutes each from 15 to 60 minutes. Treatment time countdowns automatically.
Patient Compliance Meter          This unit can store 60 sets of operation records. Total recorded
                                                                                   time is 999 hours.
Low Battery indicator        A low battery indicator will show up on the LCD when the battery is low

Operating Conditions            Temperature: 0-40˚C | Relative Humidity: 30%-75% | 

                                                             Atmospheric pressure: 700Hpa-1060Hpa

Remark                     There may be a +/-5% tolerance of all parameters and +/-20% tolerance 

                                                                      of  amplitude and voltage

Safety

TENS unit should not be used on patients with the following conditions without consulting a physician first:

• implanted electronic device such as a pacemaker
•  heart disease, epilepsy, cancer 
• pregnant

Electrodes should never be placed in the following locations:

• throat or neck
• head

The device should not be used while:

• driving
• operating machinery
• near water
• sleeping

Improved Timeline

	Week
Task	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Literature study	x	x	x	x
Mechanical design				x	x	x
System integration					x	x	x
Testing						x	x	x	x
Final report preparation								x	x	x

 For the first four weeks, research was conducted on TENS units and general post-injury/surgery knee braces. Having already acquired a DonJoy knee brace, that component did not need to be purchased and could be examined for what needed improvement. A TENS unit was purchased and can now be incorporated into the knee brace to start on the design for the final deliverable. Over the course of weeks 5-9, the design will be modified and tested until the most efficient model is produced. From the tests and further research, a final report will be prepared to present at the end of 10 weeks.

Acquisition of TENS unit update

Model:Smith & Nephew Exogen 4000+ Bone Healing System

Dimensions:7.5cm by 12.5cm by 3.75cm

Cord Length:42.5- 26.25cm

Weight:???

Functioning:???

Usability: Questionable

TENS unit FDA Information

Click Here

Brace

Side view of DonJoy Brace

 

 

Front View of DonJoy Brace

DonJoy Brace with Sleeve

Tens 7000 Unit

Explanation of TENS Unit

http://www.tensunits.com/

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/tc/transcutaneous-electrical-nerve-stimulation-tens-topic-overview

Combo of Brace with TENS unit

Sleeve with Cutouts for Nodes

Sleeve and Brace

Design Matrix

Introduction/Purpose

Recovery from injuries and surgeries is generally a painful period, but unfortunately many people have to go through such a period in their lifetime. The goals of the project include improving the comfort of existing knee braces by adding a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit to the brace and more breathable fabric in order to make the overall recovery period less painful. The main task includes incorporating electrical nodes on the knee and wiring the TENS unit to remain attached to the nodes and the overall knee brace while the patient wears the brace throughout the day. The TENS unit will be able to be activated by the patient when they are resting to help relieve pain during the day. While trying to accomplish this, the wiring and attachment of the unit will be the most difficult technical challenges. At the end, a functional, more comfortable brace with a TENS unit embedded in it will be made from an existing knee brace.