New prosthetic limb may prevent chafing, swelling

[nitpicker]

http://www.navytimes.com/article/20141030/NEWS04/310300039/New-prosthetic-limb-may-prevent-chafing-swelling

New prosthetic limb may prevent chafing, swelling
Oct. 30, 2014 - 09:36AM |
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer

(snip)
Now a Sandia National Laboratories researcher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has developed sensors that can be integrated into a prosthetic socket to monitor pressure changes and fit, and tell users of fluctuations.

The sensor, developed by researcher Jason Wheeler and the lab’s Intelligent Systems, Robotics and Cybernetics group, monitors pressure in three directions: downward or “normal” pressure, which is felt when something presses down on a surface, and two directions of “shear pressure,” or sliding. Shear forces are important, Wheeler explained, because they’re what cause rubbing, blisters and scrapes.
(snip)

Such advanced prosthetic interfaces would improve troops’ lives, Wheeler said, and likely save money because they would reduce the number of times amputees must be refitted with new sockets.
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Sandia officials said that while sensors already have been developed for prosthetic sockets, the new three-axis pressure sensor is the first of its kind.

Nearly 1,160 combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered a major limb amputation as the result of wounds. Overall, the Veterans Health Administration cares for more than 45,000 amputees and performs roughly 5,000 amputations a year, according to Veterans Affairs Department figures.
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“An optimistic view would be that we would have something [on the market] in two to five years, two being the most aggressive if [federal] exemptions and everything were granted quickly,” he said. “Essentially, the technology is close to full capability. The question becomes how long it takes to get through the manufacturing, distribution and approval process.”

[NV Whino]

1. Thanks for posting this

I just sent this on to a friend.