Development of a new prototype comprised of high-resolution pressure sensors that could potentially be incorporated in to the lining of artificial limb, has been recently completed. The new development yields from collaboration between the Sensors, Energy, and Automation Laboratory of the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, and the Washington, DC-based US Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Kishore Sundara-Rajan, PhD, University of Washington, says the prototype, the Fringing Field Sensor Array (FFSA), is comprised of “High-resolution pressure sensors that can be incorporated into the lining of artificial limbs, accurately, and non-invasively measuring sheer stress, pressure, and other characteristics at the limb-prosthetic interface.”

According to a recent news release, the sensitivity and range of data provided by the FFSA will allow doctors and researchers to design artificial limbs customized to individual patients’ residual limb surfaces. Researchers add that the FFSA can be utilized to measure contact patterns and reveal strain, and stress information. This facet in diagnostic devices will allow for the design of more comfortable and natural prosthetics. 

Source: University of Washington Electrical Engineering