Westlake Village, Calif-based biodesigns inc introduces the HiFi Interface and HiFi Imager System, developed as a result from a contract with the Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA).
According to a media release from the company, it was awarded a $999,822 firm fixed-price Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from DARPA to develop a socket diagnostic tool for the manufacture and fitment of custom sockets for upper-limb prostheses.
Per the release, DARPA’s call for the new socket diagnostic tool was a result of the challenges prosthetists face when designing the socket and suspension system that holds prostheses on upper-limb amputees.
Due to individual variation, unique complexities are introduced that factor into fitting the socket, such as muscle bundles, neuromas, bone spurs, skin conditions such as scars from burns and sores from infections, and shear at the interfacial boundary, the release explains.
Current fitting techniques often yield sockets that are uncomfortable, unstable, or impede range of motion, and as a result, the device can be compromised or the amputee can choose to not wear the prosthesis altogether, per the release.
The HiFi is a noninvasive, biomechanically based socket solution that captures and controls the residual bone through an alternating compression and release design.
The HiFi Interface has patent-pending OsseoSynchronization technology that is designed to replicate the stability achieved through direct connection to the bone that osseointegration surgery provides, according to the release.
“By displacing the soft tissue so there is less of a buffer between the bone and the interface wall in the compression zones, there is less unwanted motion of the bone. This reduced bone motion results in a much more dynamically responsive prosthesis that feels lighter, offers much greater stability and security, wastes less energy, and with the incredible proprioception it provides, patients also report feeling connected to their prosthesis,” says Randall Alley, biodesigns’ CEO and chief prosthetist, in the release.
The HiFi Imager allows for the proper amount of compression in key areas, but also enables patients to provide feedback and help dictate their fit, per the release.
For more information, visit biodesigns inc.
[Source: biodesigns inc]
