Browsing by Author "Eguren, David"
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Item Automation Process of 3D Scan Based Brace Design(2020-09-29) Desabhotla, Krishna Sarvani; Steele, Alexander G.; Eguren, DavidApproximately 83,700 children across the United States and 1.7 million children worldwide are affected by cerebral palsy and have limited or no walking ability. [1] Customizable exoskeletons could greatly improve rehabilitation outcomes and quality of life for children suffering from diseases such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida which limit mobility. Currently, it takes an expert 5-6 hours to create a single set of exoskeleton braces from one 3D scan imported into SolidWorks. In this project, we developed a process that enables braces created from a template 3D scan to readjust to another with minimal steps. This is critical as the braces must be modified as children grow. The process of solid modelling typically involves orienting objects, such as the braces, in reference to 3D space. Instead, by defining the braces using global variables and joint references like the hip, knee, and ankle, braces can transfer from the template scan to another scan with automatic size and orientation adjustment. The methodology of brace transfer involves changing the reference surface and joint of the template brace from one scan to another and can be done within minutes. This technique standardizes the design and drastically shortens the time it takes to create custom-fitted braces while reducing human error. Future work would expand the proof of concept to create a complete set of braces that transfers between scans. Applications for this research are not limited to exoskeletons but can be applied to any customizable 3D scan based orthotic/prosthetic. [1]https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/data.htmlItem DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF A POWERED LOWER-LIMB EXOSKELETON FOR PEDIATRIC GAIT REHABILITATION AND MOBILITY(2022-12-14) Eguren, David; Contreras-Vidal, Jose L.; Francisco, Gerard E.; Han, Zhu; Prasad, Saurabh; Hall, StaceyPowered exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation and mobility assistance are currently available for the adult population and hold great promise for children with mobility limiting conditions. Described here is the development and bench testing evaluation of a modular, lightweight and customizable powered exoskeleton for over-ground walking and gait rehabilitation. The pediatric lower-extremity gait system (P-LEGS) exoskeleton contains bilaterally active hip, knee and ankle joints to provide movement support for walking standing and sitting to young children with lower-limb disabilities such as those present in Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida and Spinal Cord Injured populations. The system consists of six joint control modules, one at each hip, knee and ankle joint. The joint control module, features an actuator, gear, motor driver, microcontroller and system monitoring sensors. Bench-testing results of the joint actuator assembly as well as full device evaluation for a 10-meter walk test and repeated sit-stand transition evaluation under unloaded conditions as well as conditions loaded with a mannequin to simulate a young child are presented and discussed. The device is being prepared to enter clinical testing with able-bodied and children from the target populations and customized cuffs have been developed through 3D scanning and 3D printing for the able-bodied subjects to begin testing.Item Joint Torque Instrumentation in a Pediatric Exoskeleton(2017-10-12) Akinwande, Samuel; Eguren, David; Kilicarslan, Atilla; Gorges, JeffBackground. There are 300,000+ children in the US living with ambulatory disorders. Many of them rely on wheelchairs, which cause health complications due to their sedentary nature. The UH-BMI lab is developing a powered pediatric exoskeleton to reduce wheelchair use in these children. Strain gauges and an encoder were to instrument the joints of the exoskeleton for impedance control. Conclusions. The instrumentation was successful and torques of up to 100Nm can be properly sampled and processed. The samples are obtained at a high frequency to prevent aliasing. The tests provided an adequate model of the joints of the exoskeleton. The data obtained from this project would improve the safety of the exoskeleton.