ThermoWear Smart Orthosis by Yue Yang

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DESIGN DETAILS

DESIGN NAME:
ThermoWear

PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Smart Orthosis

INSPIRATION:
Smart orthoses provide protection and stabilization while enabling digital monitoring. However, customizing smart orthoses can be challenging due to the need to balance body comfort, medical standards, and aesthetic appeal. Furthermore, the shapes of the body and medical requirements may vary during different rehabilitation stages, necessitating adjustments in the orthoses' shapes and electronic placements to minimize side effects like skin abrasions and pressure sores while ensuring effective monitoring. Therefore, an easy-to-operate fabrication method for body-fitting smart orthoses needs to be designed.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
ThermoWear is a highly efficient fabrication method for customizing sensor-embedded medical wearables that conform to the body. For the thematic structure of wearables, Low-cost, low-temperature thermoplastic materials are used to support shape-changing, as they can be heated to a soft state and shaped directly onto human bodies to create the desired form. For sensor connections, 2D circuit boards made of copper are used to ensure their high-degree deformability and elegant appearance. Additionally, parametric structure patterns are designed and cut to enhance the conformity of long-term wearing, the flexibility of sensor adjustment, and the elasticity of body movement.

OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:
Healthcare professionals can reshape the electronic board directly on human bodies with the help of ThermoWear, which supports various interactions. For instance, a smart dynamic finger splint monitors the bending of the finger and supports rehabilitation training games. A pressure-sensing scoliosis orthosis monitors the wearing time and fitness level, thereby reminding the clinician and patient to adjust. Additionally, to avoid maxillofacial injury, a mask will light up when intense facial muscle movements are detected.

PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:
The project started in March 2021 and concluded in November 2022 at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. The team conducted observations, interviews, and experiments in hospitals and orthoses studios during this period. The project was exhibited at the Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore in September 2022 and at the Global Grad Show in Dubai in November 2022.

PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:
ThermoWear integrates electronics on Low-Temperature Thermoplastics with high efficiency and reshaping flexibility. The metamaterial pattern was created and laser-cut based on the target customized elasticity for joint movement, target surface flattening simulation and reshaping demand. The copper wires were ironed on substrates with TPU.

SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:
Finger Splint: 185 mm x 80 mm x 50 mm, Electronic Mask: Width mm x Depth mm x Height mm, Scoliosis Brace: 340 mm x 210 mm x 320 mm. The thickness of the substrate sheet is 1.6 mm - 4 mm according to the structural strength needs.

TAGS:
Wearable Device, Medical Device, Adaptive Fabrication, Thermoforming, 3D Curved Circuit Board, Body-fitting, Iteration, Low-cost

RESEARCH ABSTRACT:
Material and sensing technologies, clinical observation, and physiological tests to implement hardware and circuits; Material experiments to design parametric cut patterns for ductility, internal displacement, and elasticity enhancement; Flattening algorithm involved software to create 2D sheets and calculate local stretchability from the targeted 3D shapes; User study and experts interview to verify the usability, efficiency, and ergonomics.

CHALLENGE:
We address a dearth of orthoses design that is rarely discussed in the customization process: form factors in terms of human morphology and kinesics, which can undermine conformity and usability when being worn, despite continual advancements in intelligent functions. On the functional side, we support flexible adjustment of the electronics on smart orthoses, such as pressure sensors and EMG, when they lose contact with the body or are in the incorrect position.

ADDED DATE:
2022-06-30 06:27:40

TEAM MEMBERS (9) :
Yue Yang, Mengyan Guo, Kuangqi Zhu, Zihan Yan, Junzhe Ji, Qiang Cui, Zihong Zhou, Ye Tao and Guanyun Wang

IMAGE CREDITS:
Image #1: Photographer Yue Yang, Creator Mengyan Guo, Smart dynamic finger splint, 2022.
Image #2: Photographer Deing Pan, Creator Yue Yang, Thermoforming smart mask, 2021.
Image #3: Photographer Deing Pan, Creator Yue Yang, Smart mask, 2021.
Image #4: Photographer Yue Yang, Creator Mengyan Guo, ThermoWear circuit board, 2022.
Image #5: Photographer Guanyun Wang, Creator Yue Yang, Smart scoliosis orthosis, 2021.
Video Credits: Director Yue Yang, Editor Kuangqi Zhu, Jiaji Li, 2022.

PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS:
Copyrights belong to Zhejiang University, 2021

Visit the following page to learn more: https://design.zju.edu.cn/guanyunlab/projects /thermofit

CLIENT/STUDIO/BRAND DETAILS

NAME:
Guanyun Lab, Zhejiang Univerisity

PROFILE:
ThermoFit is a research team at the Guanyun Lab of Zhejiang University. Overseen by Prof. Guanyun Wang and led by Yue Yang, they have integrated metamaterial structures and circuits onto thermoplastic to achieve body-fitting and component adjustability. In addition, they have developed a fabrication approach and computational design tool to customize adaptive smart orthoses, in collaboration with researchers from MIT Media Lab, Tsinghua University, and Carnegie Mellon University. They are currently working with orthotists and rehabilitation physicians to apply this technology to clinical practice.

AWARD DETAILS
	Thermowear Smart Orthosis by Yue Yang is Runner-up for A' Design Award in Medical Devices and Medical Equipment Design Category, 2022 - 2023. · Read the interview with designer Yue Yang for design ThermoWear here. · Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Yue Yang. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Yue Yang.