3D-printed programmable bistable mechanisms for customized wearable devices in tremor attenuation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Computational Design

Background:

• Upper limb tremors, often associated with neurological conditions, significantly impact daily activities.
• Existing tremor reduction methods may be invasive or lack personalization.
• Compliant mechanisms offer unique nonlinear properties for vibration damping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a computational framework for designing and fabricating customized compliant bistable mechanisms.
• To reduce upper limb tremors using 3D-printed devices.
• To integrate inverse design and simulation for streamlined customization.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a computational framework integrating inverse design and simulation.
• Employed a deep neural network (DNN) and evolutionary optimization for mechanism design.
• Developed a pseudo-rigid-body model (PRBM) to train machine learning (ML) models.
• Customized the bistable structure using LiDAR scanning of a synthetic human arm model.
• Fabricated the mechanism using 3D printing.

Main Results:

• Achieved up to 87.11% reduction in tremor power.
• The designed mechanism weighs only 27g.
• Demonstrated effective vibration attenuation for personalized medical applications.

Conclusions:

• The proposed computational framework enables efficient design of customized compliant bistable mechanisms.
• The 3D-printed devices show significant potential for wearable orthotics to mitigate Parkinsonian tremors.
• This approach offers a lightweight and effective solution for tremor reduction in various applications.