Microfluidic-based soft robotic prosthetics promise relief for amputees
Canadian scientists have developed a prosthetic using microfluidics-enabled soft robotics to reduce skin ulcerations and pain in patients who have had a below knee amputation.
Over 80 per cent of lower-limb amputations globally are the result of diabetic foot ulcers, and the lower limb can swell at unpredictable times, resulting in volume changes of 10 per cent or more.
The prosthesis used after amputation typically includes fabric and silicone liners that can be added or removed to improve fit. The amputee needs to manually change the liners, but neuropathy leading to poor sensation makes this difficult and can lead to more damage to the remaining limb.
"Rather than creating a new type of prosthetic socket, the typical silicon/fabric limb liner is replaced with a single layer of liner with integrated soft fluidic actuators as an interfacing layer," said author Carolyn Ren, from the University of Waterloo. "These actuators are designed to be inflated to varying pressures based on the anatomy of the residual limb to reduce pain and prevent pressure ulcerations."
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