VibraCP: A lightweight, long lasting vibrational device for spastic cerebral palsy rehabilitation

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common childhood developmental disorder. The symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy frequently lead to immobility. In the lower body, this presents as a result of insufficient push off strength or insufficient gait swing clearance causing tripping and falling. A common tool in the rehabilitation of spastic cerebral palsy is cueing, or a physical prompting of proper function. In 2021 and 2022, teams created a device that uses a vibration stimulus to cue. Working with the Stanford Department of Orthopedics, our team believes we can improve upon the existing proof of concept to create a useful research instrument. Our final prototype utilizes a custom printed circuit board (PCB) and battery secured inside of polycarbonate protective casings. The cases are secured in a hand-sewn neoprene brace for variable tightness. Both the total weight and casing footprint from the previous prototype were by 50% respectively. Test results confirmed that the casing takes no damage when dropped, and that the casing can sustain a 125 kg sustained load without deformation. Additionally, in an experiment with seven participants, that brace and vibration were comfortable. In the future, the PCB could be further miniaturized through removing prebuilt modules, the brace could be outsourced for professional construction, and the casing injection molded. The device would become cheaper, smaller, and more robust through these actions.

Description

Type of resource text
Publication date April 2, 2023; 2023

Creators/Contributors

Author Mansfield, Thomas
Author Blinkman, Shane
Author Sewell, Sean
Author Ortiz, William
Department Stanford Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Advisor Rose, Jessica
Advisor Schadl, Kornel
Advisor Horne, Stephen
Advisor Maxwell, Cole

Subjects

Subject Gait disorders
Subject Cerebral palsied > Rehabilitation
Genre Text
Genre Report

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Use and reproduction
User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).

Preferred citation

Preferred citation
Mansfield, T., Blinkman, S., Sewell, S., and Ortiz, W. (2023). VibraCP: A lightweight, long lasting vibrational device for spastic cerebral palsy rehabilitation. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/bf279rr2328. https://doi.org/10.25740/bf279rr2328.

Collection

ME170 Mechanical Engineering Design

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