HAILO: A Sensorised Hand Splint for the Exploration of Interface Forces

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Technology
• Orthotics and Prosthetics

Background:

• Hand splinting is crucial for managing arthritis, but its biomechanical effects and interface loading are not well understood.
• Current methods for assessing splint effectiveness lack objective biomechanical data.
• There is a need for advanced tools to quantify the forces exerted by splints on the hand.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop a custom 3D printed instrumented splint for measuring biomechanical effects and interface loading.
• To assess the load-sensing capabilities of the instrumented splint during everyday tasks.
• To compare the support provided by the 3D printed splint with a commercial splint.

Main Methods:

• A custom 3D printed thumb splint was developed with 16 multi-axial soft load-sensing nodes at the splint-skin interface.
• 12 healthy participants performed 6 everyday tasks while wearing the instrumented splint.
• Interface forces were measured and compared between a relaxed hand position and active use states.
• Sensor activity across the splint surface was analyzed and compared to a commercial splint.

Main Results:

• The instrumented splint successfully measured interface forces between the splint and hand during various tasks.
• Sensor activity varied across the splint surface depending on the task, commonly concentrating at the base of the thumb.
• The 3D printed splint demonstrated comparable support levels to a commercial splint.
• The study successfully characterized the changing forces imparted by the splint surface on the hand.

Conclusions:

• The instrumented splint shows promise for objectively measuring biomechanical forces in hand splinting.
• This technology can enhance the understanding of splint behavior and optimize interventions for conditions like arthritis.
• Further research can leverage these findings to improve splint design and patient quality of life.