SBIR Phase I: Development of a pad and sensor system for a dynamic scoliosis brace

The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR Phase I project will advance the development of embedded sensors to support treatment for the most prevalent form of spinal deformity, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). AIS complications cause more than 440,000 office visits, 130,000 hospital visits, and 17,000 emergency room visits each year in the United States. This disorder is addressed by reducing spine curve progression through passive brace treatment, which is painful for users and does not correct the deformity, and eventually, over one-third of brace users stop wearing the brace. To improve use, comfort, and effectiveness of braces at halting curve progression, this project will develop a brace that applies corrective pressure to the spine to treat AIS with integrated sensors measuring the duration of brace use and the corrective forces applied to the spine in real time. This sensor will allow parents, patients, and clinicians to monitor compliance; more importantly it will trigger an alert when corrective forces fall below a threshold so that clinicians can schedule adjustments in a timely manner. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will enable the development of an accurate method to measure corrective forces in a sensor for a scoliosis dynamic brace. The technical hurdles that will be addressed in this proposal are the development of an embedded brace methodology for accurate measurements of corrective forces, as the sensor system of the brace must be able to reliably detect a change in the direction or magnitude of corrective force delivered to the patient's torso. This will require the development of a system of sensors that can accurately resolve these forces. The first technical objective will be to optimize the number and pattern of force sensors on each pad. The second technical objective will develop a method for identifying and acquiring meaningful force measurements. These aims will develop a novel dynamic scoliosis brace for further enhancement through addition of a sensor in the prototype and use in human subjects in Phase II. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.