Soft sensor could map pressure points for amputees

Published in IEEE Sensors Journal, the team’s study explored how their prototype patch, which incorporates a lattice of electrically conducive yarns and connects to a computer, could help to detect pressure points in the socket of an amputee’s prosthetic limb. 

The team comprised researchers in textiles, electrical, computer and biomedical engineering at NC State. The study’s first author Jordan Tablor, a graduate student in the NC State College of Textiles, explained that rigid sensors are commonly used to measure pressure within prosthetics.

“They’re hard, they’re bulky, they can be heavy,” Tablor said in a statement. “These are not things that amputees can use on a daily basis because rigid sensors affect the fit of the amputees’ prosthetics.” He added that they can also cause discomfort, prompting the team to design a sensor that could be integrated and used more regularly without causing further discomfort to the user.