156A Week 9
Overview of Status of Analysis, Design, Fabrication, Tests, etc.
started going through papers Sponsor sent us
considered different types of actuators for nerve lengthening i.e. stepper motor, magnets, piezoelectric actuator, shape memory alloy
talked to previous 156 nerve lengthening team to ask them questions about their design
considered different power methods to enable a fully enclosed system e.g. no external wiresÂ
Accomplishments from Previous Week
began component analysis on stepper motor
determined that wireless charging will most likely be too difficult due to low efficiencies, alignment issues, and complexity
determined that bio-compatible batteries might be the best option for a fully enclosed system
previous 156 team told us that they assumed a maximum required force of 12 N and that the heat generated from the motor was not a major concern since the motor run time is short
Goals for Next Week (list names after each item). Use specific and measurable objectives.
finalize component analysis topics and begin individual component analysis
finalize risk reduction topic and begin working on risk reduction presentation
prepare to meet with sponsor and Prof. Gillett (see email from professor)
continue to brainstorm design ideas
Sponsor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments
told us to contact the current nerve lengthening MAE 156 team - we contacted them via email
told us to go through the research papers he was going to be sending us - we began going through these papers
set-up regular meeting times
plan to tour the lab set up and view the current nerve stretching system - will do this at the next meeting
fill out forms - we only need signatures
Instructor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments
go through spring 2018 project which used magnetic actuation on a similar system - went through this paper
take pictures of rabbits and previous nerve stretching system setup - will do this at our next sponsor meeting
we need to determine the role of each group member - decided on component analysis topics
Risks and Areas of Concern
will the actuator have enough torque to stretch the nerve and maintain the elongation through the 20 mm desired stretch?
will the heat generated by the motor be low enough that it won't damage the surrounding tissue of the patient?
will the nerve system be bio-compatible and be easily installed during surgery in a way that minimizes infection?
are magnetic fields harmful to patient? (for magnetic actuation)
is actuator stable and will it ensure that nerves are not stretched beyond 20% strain?
Resources or Information Required but not Available
what are the material properties of the nerve?
what is the tension force from the nerve acting against the actuator?
how much heat would damage the surrounding tissue?
Schedule
Describe upcoming milestone
Update Gantt chart
Meeting with Dr. Sameer Shah
Team meeting with Prof. David Gillet
Budget (list amount spent and amount remaining)
$0.00 spent
$1500.00 remaining
Progress on Report and Webpage
began formatting webpage
began stepper motor component analysis