Person:
Sprigle, Stephen

ORCID
0000-0003-0462-0138
ArchiveSpace Name Record

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 18
  • Item
    Wheelchair in-seat monitoring design considerations
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-10) Sprigle, Stephen ; Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Deshpande, Yogesh ; Jordan, Kathleen
    Wheelchair in-seat activity trackers are developed to monitor and provide feedback about the pressure redistributing movements of wheelchair users, including weight shifts and other postural shifts that redistribute buttocks pressures. From a design perspective, in-seat activity trackers reflect myriad design decisions that impact performance, function, and usability. Many, if not all, of these decisions involve interconnections across system components, and can have significant impact on tracker operation and user-experience. Technology developers will have to manage many benefits and trade-offs that accompany design of each subsystem. Two documents were created based upon real-world use of in-seat trackers to briefly identify design criteria and constraints that should be considered.
  • Item
    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.
  • Item
    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.
  • Item
    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.
  • Item
    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.
  • Item
    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.
  • Item
    Blood Flow and Pressure Changes That Occur With Tilt-in-space
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009) Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, Stephen
  • Item
    Understanding Wheelchair Use Patterns: Tilt-in-Space
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-03) Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, Stephen ; Harris, Frances ; Maurer, Chris
  • Item
    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.
  • Item
    Impact of Tilt-in-Space Power Wheelchairs on Health, Activity, and Participation
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008) Harris, Frances ; Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, Stephen ; Maurer, Christine L.
    This paper reports the results of a pre-post outcomes study on the impact of tilt-in-space power wheelchairs on the health, activity, and participation of 5 subjects. Using a methodology which combines traditional self-reports and activity monitoring technology, subjects who had previously used an upright power wheelchair were monitored at baseline and 3 months following receipt of a new tilt-in-space power wheelchair. Subjects visited similar numbers of destinations pre and post. However, wheelchair use metrics - including occupancy time, distance wheeled, and number of bouts - varied pre and post, without a consistent direction of change. Quality of life measured as self-perceived health status increased in all subjects. Although subject population is too small to generalize results, this study illustrates the complexity of participation measurement and the utility of this methodology to provide insights into the relationship between wheelchair use and activity and participation.