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The Problem & Need
The Problem & Need
There is roughly 3 million cases of spinal deformities reported each year in the US and orthopedic surgeries for spinal deformity utilizes harmful x-rays that poses a danger to the surgeons and the patient. The number of x-rays can increase depending on the severity of the deformity and each x-ray take roughly 20 minutes to take.
Currently, there is a need for a safer and simpler device that tracks the orientation and position of each vertebrae during spinal deformity surgery without the repeated use of harmful x-rays.
The Design
The Design
The device uses an IMU, translating the accelerator and gyroscope reading into position and angle. This component is embedded in common technologies such as tablets, Nintendo devices, and smartphones. Using IMUs can greatly reduce the price of measurement devices and are intuitive for users.
The device is designed to attach to medical scaffolds that protrude from the vertebrae of the spine and record position and angle data live-time. The data is then transferred to a remote display via BLE.
The user can interact with a GUI to monitor and record vertebra movement during surgical procedures.
Future Works
Future Works
Clinical Testing: Testing the device in a clinical setting can reveal factors that we may have overlooked in the design. Knowing these factors will help further make improvements to the design.
Image Analysis: Integrate image analysis with the device to possibly create higher accuracy and self-calibration during each use.
PCB Design: The size, performance, and efficiency of the device can be improved by designing our own PCB.
Credit: Zhixiong (Jack) Li
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