SBIR-STTR Award

We have developed an electronic device that provides a sense of feel for lower limb amputees. The device has been field tested and observational evidence and patient reports indicate that it helps amputees achieve better balance and more normal gait. The goal in Phase I is to conduct more objective pilot tests of the device. Twenty-four subjects will be tested with and without the device attached to their prosthesis. Balance and gait will be evaluated to determine if the device improves these functions. Gait lab studies will provide quantified measures for both balance and ambulation. The device is technologically innovative in that it does not require cumbersome equipment or surgical implantation and because patients quickly adapt to it as part of their prosthetic system. We have applied for patent rights. It is expected the inclusion of the device with our prostheses will allow us to produce prosthetics that will appeal to a larger segment of the user market.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:There is a large potential for commercial application not only for the prosthetic industry but also for the much larger market comprised of diabetics and paraplegics who have a similar problem with insensate feet.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

The research seeks to determine the efficacy of a sensory feedback device developed at the Sabolich Prosthetic and Research Center as both a rehabilitative tool and a permanent addition to the lower limb prosthesis. This will be accomplished by exploring both the clinical implications as well as the functional outcomes that result from the long term use of this device by a large subject population. Concurrently, refinements to the existing experimental device will be developed in order to convert the device into a marketable product. The study design will track performance of both experimental and control groups for what is believed will be the largest and most comprehensive study of sensory feedback augmentation ever conducted for lower limb amputees.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applieations of the research:This investigation could have a significant impact in the evolution of state-of-the-art prostheses as well as enhanced rehabilitation technology.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)