Organizational Unit:

Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation

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https://hdl.handle.net/1853/70766

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Organizational Unit

College of Design

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https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/agents/corporate_entities/1116

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Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 21

Mobility Metrics for Manual Wheelchair Use in Everyday Life

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-06) Lopez, Ricardo A. ; Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, Stephen

In this study, a method for the robust detection of manual wheelchair movement with accelerometer-based data logging is used to obtain metrics of wheelchair mobility that complement mean- and total-distance-only based measurements. It is found that these metrics, that include distance, time and number of activity bouts, provide better understanding of everyday use of manual wheelchairs by shedding more light into how users operate their wheelchairs in their daily lives.
Study on Alleviation Pressure Cushion

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-06) Kong, Linghua ; Sprigle, Stephen ; Davis, Kim ; Wang, Chao

The alleviation pressure (AP) cushion is a dynamic cushion system with three bladders at the pelvic region. The bladders can be deflated and inflated in a certain sequence to relieve the pressure on the ischial tuberosiites (IT) and coccyx/sacrum. The design of the foam base, bladder and pneumatic and electronic system of the AP cushion is discussed in this paper. And testing is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the AP cushion.
Blood Flow and Pressure Changes That Occur With Tilt-in-Space

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-06) Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, Stephen

The objective of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical responses to tilt in persons with SCI. Changes in blood flow and loading at the ischial tuberosities (ITs) across different amounts of tilt were measured with Laser Doppler flowmetry and interface pressure. Pressure reduction at the IT was not present at 15°, but did occur with tilts to 30° and greater. Unlike pressure, blood flow increased with all tilts from an upright position. Only 4 of 11 participants had a considerable increase (≥10%) in blood flow at 30° tilt, whereas 9 participants did during maximum tilt (i.e., 45°-60°). Based on the results of this study, tilting for pressure reliefs as far as the seating system permits is recommended to maximize the potential for significant blood flow increases and pressure relief. The use of interim small tilts is also supported, as they also provide some benefit.
Clinical Usability of a Wound Measurement Device

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010) Nemeth, Michelle E. ; Sprigle, Stephen ; Gajjala, Anita

Monitoring wound size is an integral component to the assessment and treatment of chronic wounds. Conventional methods, such as ruler measures and transparency tracings, for measuring wound size often have low accuracy and reliability. Newer high tech methods, while more reliable and accurate, are often expensive and difficult to use. The objective of the study was to design a wound measurement device (WMD) with the following features: ease of use, low cost, non-contact, time-saving, hand-held, reliable, and battery operated.
Inventor-Driven Product Development

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010) Sprigle, Stephen ; Maurer, Chris ; Kong, Linghua

Inventors of assistive technology often lack resources to support product development and this may hinder their ability to develop useful and commercially viable devices. The purpose of this on‐going project is to support inventor and small company development of promising mobility-‐related technologies. Specifically, the process includes: 1) an informal brainstorming session addressing technical, market and user issues; 2) formal screening of device potential and RERC capacity to assist in development; 3) invitation to engage inventors/companies with promising technologies; and 4) product testing and/or development of promising technologies. This paper describes the project’s approach and reviews activities over the past year.
Blood Flow and Pressure Changes That Occur With Tilt-in-Space

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009) Sonenblum, Sharon Eve
Blood Flow and Pressure Changes That Occur With Tilt-in-space

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009) Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, Stephen
Dynamic Response of Wheelchair Cushions to the ISO Impact Damping Test

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009) Chung, B. M.

The International Organization for Standardization defines tests that characterize the properties of wheelchair cushions (ISO 16840-2). The impact damping test (IDT) characterizes cushions' abilities to reduce impact loading on tissues and to help maintain postural stability. The ISO test reports the number of rebounds greater than 10% of the peak impact acceleration and the ratio of the second to first rebound acceleration in order to determine the damping properties. We performed IDTs on three different wheelchair cushions: 3" elastic foam (EF), 3" viscoelastic foam (VEF), and a 3" laminar cushion (LC); a viscous fluid bladder on the top of an elastic foam. The LC had two rebounds greater than 10 % of the peak acceleration while the EF and VEF had one. The LC had high-est ratio (0.48) followed by the EF (0.29) and the VEF (0.25). According to ISO, these results indicate that EF and VEF dampen impacts quicker than LC and have superior abilities to help maintain postural stability. Based upon this analysis, three critical issues about the ISO IDT have been identified. The first is the ISO should incorporate impact magnitude in the analysis, since impact loading on tissues is a stated purpose. The second is the ISO should use impact instead of re-bound accelerations. Results show that nonlinear responses are evident in rebounds in all three cushions. The third issue is that oscillation from impact is not a simple second order damped harmonic. Analysis showed that three to five natural frequencies are embedded in the damped harmonic oscillation, so simple ratios of accelerations do not represent the damping properties of cushions. In conclusion, the ISO IDT should utilize impact accelerations and employ more complex analysis to better characterize the damping properties of wheelchair cushions.
Understanding Wheelchair Use Patterns: Tilt-in-Space

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-03) Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, Stephen ; Harris, Frances ; Maurer, Chris
Bruise chromophore concentrations over time

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008) Duckworth, Mark G. ; Caspall, Jayme J. ; Mappus IV, Rudolph L. ; Kong, Linghua ; Yi, Dingrong ; Sprigle, Stephen

During investigations of potential child and elder abuse, clinicians and forensic practitioners are often asked to offer opinions about the age of a bruise. A commonality between existing methods of bruise aging is analysis of bruise color or estimation of chromophore concentration. Relative chromophore concentration is an underlying factor that determines bruise color. We investigate a method of chromophore concentration estimation that can be employed in a handheld imaging spectrometer with a small number of wavelengths. The method, based on absorbance properties defined by Beer-Lambert's law, allows estimation of differential chromophore concentration between bruised and normal skin. Absorption coefficient data for each chromophore are required to make the estimation. Two different sources of this data are used in the analysis- generated using Independent Component Analysis and taken from published values. Differential concentration values over time, generated using both sources, show correlation to published models of bruise color change over time and total chromophore concentration over time.