Optimizing children's hand orthosis design: A study on contact pressure distribution using FSR sensors
The design and comfort of hand orthoses for children are crucial for effective therapeutic outcomes. This research primarily aims to measure the contact force between the hand and orthoses in children under 10 years old and use this data as a loading condition for topology optimization to reduce hig...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Materials & Design |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525000991 |
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| author | Dhaval Patel Ivaylo Mitev Thomas Rockenbauer Thomas Antretter Sandra Schloegl Margit Lang |
| author_facet | Dhaval Patel Ivaylo Mitev Thomas Rockenbauer Thomas Antretter Sandra Schloegl Margit Lang |
| author_sort | Dhaval Patel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The design and comfort of hand orthoses for children are crucial for effective therapeutic outcomes. This research primarily aims to measure the contact force between the hand and orthoses in children under 10 years old and use this data as a loading condition for topology optimization to reduce high-pressure areas, thereby enhancing wear comfort. Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) sensors were employed to record the contact force at 16 specific points on the orthoses using a voltage divider circuit with two different setups: the Teensy 3.5 chip board for 12-bit precision and the Elegoo Mega 2560 chip board for 10-bit precision. These force measurements were compared to existing data from an adult to highlight differences in pressure distribution. Additionally, the study demonstrates the feasibility of integrating precise sensor data into computational models for optimizing medical device designs. While this data could also be utilized in future research for sizing adjustments to optimize the soft padding materials within the orthoses for improved comfort, this aspect is not the primary focus of the current study. The results underscore the importance of developing orthotic designs tailored to pediatric users, informed by precise contact force measurements, to mitigate critical pressure sores and improve overall comfort. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d68fe42aa67497788ebaef3ad84a3c1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0264-1275 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials & Design |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d68fe42aa67497788ebaef3ad84a3c12025-02-11T04:33:29ZengElsevierMaterials & Design0264-12752025-03-01251113679Optimizing children's hand orthosis design: A study on contact pressure distribution using FSR sensorsDhaval Patel0Ivaylo Mitev1Thomas Rockenbauer2Thomas Antretter3Sandra Schloegl4Margit Lang5Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH, 8700 Leoben, Austria; Montanuniversität Leoben, Chair of Mechanics, 8700 Leoben, Austria; Corresponding author.Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH, 8700 Leoben, AustriaLuxinergy GmbH, 8700 Leoben, AustriaMontanuniversität Leoben, Chair of Mechanics, 8700 Leoben, AustriaPolymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH, 8700 Leoben, AustriaPolymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH, 8700 Leoben, AustriaThe design and comfort of hand orthoses for children are crucial for effective therapeutic outcomes. This research primarily aims to measure the contact force between the hand and orthoses in children under 10 years old and use this data as a loading condition for topology optimization to reduce high-pressure areas, thereby enhancing wear comfort. Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) sensors were employed to record the contact force at 16 specific points on the orthoses using a voltage divider circuit with two different setups: the Teensy 3.5 chip board for 12-bit precision and the Elegoo Mega 2560 chip board for 10-bit precision. These force measurements were compared to existing data from an adult to highlight differences in pressure distribution. Additionally, the study demonstrates the feasibility of integrating precise sensor data into computational models for optimizing medical device designs. While this data could also be utilized in future research for sizing adjustments to optimize the soft padding materials within the orthoses for improved comfort, this aspect is not the primary focus of the current study. The results underscore the importance of developing orthotic designs tailored to pediatric users, informed by precise contact force measurements, to mitigate critical pressure sores and improve overall comfort.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525000991Contact pressureHand orthosisTopology optimizationSizing optimizationFinite element method (FEM)Force-sensing resistor (FSR) sensor |
| spellingShingle | Dhaval Patel Ivaylo Mitev Thomas Rockenbauer Thomas Antretter Sandra Schloegl Margit Lang Optimizing children's hand orthosis design: A study on contact pressure distribution using FSR sensors Materials & Design Contact pressure Hand orthosis Topology optimization Sizing optimization Finite element method (FEM) Force-sensing resistor (FSR) sensor |
| title | Optimizing children's hand orthosis design: A study on contact pressure distribution using FSR sensors |
| title_full | Optimizing children's hand orthosis design: A study on contact pressure distribution using FSR sensors |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing children's hand orthosis design: A study on contact pressure distribution using FSR sensors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing children's hand orthosis design: A study on contact pressure distribution using FSR sensors |
| title_short | Optimizing children's hand orthosis design: A study on contact pressure distribution using FSR sensors |
| title_sort | optimizing children s hand orthosis design a study on contact pressure distribution using fsr sensors |
| topic | Contact pressure Hand orthosis Topology optimization Sizing optimization Finite element method (FEM) Force-sensing resistor (FSR) sensor |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525000991 |
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