Automated Design of Custom Knee Orthoses

Project title

Industry project: „Automated Design of individually customized Knee Orthoses with Structural Shape Optimziation and kinematic Synthesis"

Goal

Development of an automated design process for the fabrication of custom knee braces based on 3D surface scans.

Contact

M.Sc. Konstantin Strübig (wiss. Mitarbeiter)

Application

Fast manufacturing of custom orthoses using additive manufacturing technologies based on 3D surface scans with a reduced need of expert know-how.

Research topic

Automated design for additive Manufacturing / Kinematic Synthesis / Structural Shape Optimization

State of the art

The manufacturing process of custom knee orthoses requires a lot of manual labor and expert knowledge to guarantee a good fit and biomechanical compatibility.

Drawbacks of the State of the Art

Time consuming workflow and only few people quilified for key steps of the process.

Concept

Categorization of different deformities and malalignments based on 3D surface scans. Automated design of custom shells for treatment while ensuring an optimal fit. Kinematic synthesis of custom knee joints based on previously captured motion data. Additive manufacturing of the custom knee orthosis.

Current Results

Intitial steps still in development.