2D Photobiofabrication Bioprinter

Students: Elizabeth Staten, Heather Berberich, Aubree Narus, Chelsea Loh
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Raub

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the U.S. that is treated by surgery followed by systemic therapy. Free flap surgery is utilized to reconstruct breast tissue, but it can be expensive and lead to complications during surgery and post-op. 3D bioprinting is a new field within tissue engineering with the aim of fabricating tissue-like structures that have the same characteristics/functions of native tissue and replace free flap surgery. Our goal is to make photobiofabrication cost effective, accurate, good resolution, flexibility in designs, and more scalable to enable bioprinting of implantable tissue constructs for tissue reconstruction. Our device, the 2D Photobiofabrication Bioprinter’s (2DPB) light source is a 440 nm blue light laser that photocrosslinks Ruthenium Sodium Persulphate gelatin gels with a programmable XY plotter, 3D printed laser housing, and adjustable legs to vary the height. Our device uses the method of photocrosslinking bioprinting. Photocrosslinking is where absorption of light by prepolymer molecules induce a photo-chemical reaction, which leads to the formation of covalent bonds. The 2DPB can print a snake pattern onto the gels with patterns of cultured cells on photocrosslinked areas. Therefore, the 2DPB can achieve the main goals and allows for inexpensive bioprinting.

HUGS-3: A Smart Baby Toy to Support Home Therapy in Infants at Risk for Neuromotor Delay

Students: Hanh Hoang, Robert Jett, Nicholas Casares
Advisor: Dr. Manon Schladen

Perinatal brain injuries in infants can cause neuromotor delay and long-term disability in full-term infants. Conditions such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and cerebral palsy can affect the infant. Rehabilitation through therapy is the best way for diagnosed infants to reach their full potential. Understanding how the therapy affects the child can improve therapy practices. The Hand Use and Grasp Sensor (HUGS) device was made to monitor neurodevelopment in infants with diagnosed and undiagnosed cerebral palsy. The HUGS device is designed to be used in the home under the supervision of parents, to monitor infant fine motor development. The HUGS shell has a firm, lightweight, and plastic like design, and is integrated with a stuffed toy. Infant grasp forces picked up by the HUGS sensor are relayed from the Arduino to a smartphone using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The data is sent to a custom Android App then analyzed to map the trajectory of an infant's grasp development, and the impact of therapy's success. This engineering design project aims to determine how the HUGS device used in the natural play environment helps monitor infants with developmental delays more efficiently.

Monitoring and Analysis System for Aphasia (MASA)

Shaila Biswas, Seraphina Culp, Eilís McCormick, May Rajtboriraks
Advisor(s): Dr. Peter Lum and Dr. Andrew DeMarco (Georgetown University)

Aphasia is a communication disorder caused by damage, usually stroke, to the speech and comprehension parts of the brain. Approximately one million Americans live with aphasia. 180,000 new cases of aphasia occur each year. The most common treatment for post-stroke aphasia is speech language therapy. The aim of this project is to develop a way for researchers to monitor and analyze the communication of post-stroke aphasia patients at home to understand how environmental factors contribute to aphasia patient recovery. Our design solution is a wearable instrument that continuously monitors and analyzes communication. Currently, no device can do this. It will benefit researchers and aphasia patients by providing an understanding of what at-home factors can improve recovery. A Raspberry Pi Zero is programmed to record sound through 4 microphones. After acquiring sound from different angles, voice algorithms isolate one speaker at a time. An individual's speech is then analyzed for metrics like word count and speed. The aphasia community will benefit from the ability to collect data previously unavailable and from a quantitative way to measure speech improvement.

Posturography for Children Who are Wheelchair Users

Students: Ian McCaw, Molly Gylnn
Advisor: Dr. Christopher Raub

People with Cerebral palsy (CP) experience difficulties with mobility and postural control. Treatments for CP include physical therapy, medications, assistive devices, and surgery. There is a need for an affordable, innovative, and effective treatment for improving postural control in wheelchair users. The prototype we developed seeks to address these needs by providing an easily accessible device that utilizes a combination of sensors to provide feedback to the user about their posture and mobility, thus enabling them to improve their coordination and balance. The device is a mat to be placed directly under the patient's hips and consists of four sets of sensors. The load-cell sensors are set up in a wheatstone bridge electrical circuit for accurate compiling of data. These components provide real-time feedback to the user as they move, allowing them to adjust their posture and stance to improve mobility and coordination. The prototype provides real-time feedback to the user, allowing them to make corrections to their posture and stance as
they move. Finally, the device’s ability to record and track user progress over time allows for more accurate and personalized treatment plans.

A Breakaway Device for a Transfemoral Osseointegrated Prosthetic System

Troy Young, Massimo Tschantret, Jacob Tribull, Ameer Antar
Advisor: Dr. Gregory Behrmann

Osseointegration (OI) for transfemoral amputations allows for a load-carrying implant that results in proper stress distribution, hip-joint alignment, and direct control of the prosthesis. However, the intricacy of the implant-bone fixation results in restriction of intense athletic activities for OI patients. The development of a reusable device that attaches above the artificial knee of the prosthetic leg and breaks away in response to excessive torsional, compression, traction, and moment forces, allows for preservation of the implant bone fixation, and an opportunity for patients to return to intense athletic activities with reduced risk of implant failure. Each patient has a unique injury, with a different threshold before either their bone or the device begins to fail. The device being developed must be tunable to accommodate the safety requirements of every patient in their activity. Thus, the group is developing multiple models with different spring strengths to allow for a range of options to optimize patient activity while preserving the integrity of the implant bone
fixation.

Anthropomorphic Prosthetic Finger Design

Students: Eric Szydlowski, Derrick Musser, Chris Bianchi, Asia Rajab
Advisor: Dr. Sang-Wook Lee

Diabetes can cause peripheral artery disease; this can lead to amputations. Peripheral artery disease is the narrowing or blockage of the vessels that carry blood to the body's extremities. We have developed a prosthesis to improve the quality of life for amputee victims. Currently the standard for hand/finger prosthetics is a myoelectric prosthesis device. The myoelectric finger uses electrical signals generated by muscles in the residual limb to control the movements of the prosthesis. After comparing all of the pros and cons of the myoelectric finger we came up with a prototype for a new finger prosthetic. Our design is cost effective, easy to use, safe for the user, and functions like a natural finger. The finger prosthetic is based on a linearly driven hydraulic system. In this idea the pistons are filled with an incompressible fluid which will be driven by linear actuators to create an output force that can be adjusted with the movement of the device without impeding the input device. This is a useful system because now the input force can produce the output with a 360-degree range of motion without compromising the output force.

The Shoe Sensor: Monitoring Gait and Pressure in Patients with Diabetic Neuropathy

Students: Rob Novak, Noah Miller, Nick Miraglia
Advisor: Dr. Nathan Neckel

28% of diabetics in the US develop neuropathy. Neuropathy leads to a loss of feeling and the development of foot ulcers due to nerve damage. Diabetes is the leading cause of foot amputations worldwide due to infections caused by foot ulcers. Our product aims to decrease foot amputations in diabetics with neuropathy by monitoring the development of foot ulcers so that patients can return to normal activities. The current state-of-the-art design consists of a shoe insert that sends alerts to a smartwatch to sit down. The novelty of our solution is that force sensors are placed on the at-risk areas of the foot to measure the force as a patient walks. These force sensors are then connected to an Arduino BLE located on the laces, which hooks up to the computer via a USB cable. The data is then interpreted through a simple graph that displays the changes in pressure. Additionally, a gyroscopic sensor is used to provide acceleration and position data in the x, y, and z directions to monitor the development of drop foot and other gait-related issues. The significance of this design is it provides data that doctors can use to make custom orthotics based on their walking patterns.

Vocal Cord Dysfunction Diagnosis Device

Students: Alhareth Mendkar, Khanda Karim Khan, Fatimah Alsuwailih, Tang Thu Ha Ngo
Advisor: Dr. Kevin Cleary (Children’s National)

Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is a condition that occurs when the vocal cords involuntarily close during inspiration, causing breathing difficulties. It can take up to 33 months to diagnose VCD due to the similar symptom presentation as asthma, which results in significant economic burden on the patient with direct and indirect pre-diagnosis median costs of $8,625 and $736, respectively. To address this issue, we aim to develop a better diagnosis of VCD in at-risk athletics patients during competitive sports. The golden standard for VCD diagnosis is laryngoscopy, but it can be uncomfortable and invasive. Our goal is to provide a noninvasive, easy-to-use, and long-lasting VCD diagnosis device that can collect relevant data over a long period of time. This design includes a taped microscope near the vocal cord and a respiratory
belt. The device can measure vocal cord vibration, respiration effort, respiration rate, and step rate simultaneously over a 48-hour period. The data will be wirelessly recorded and processed for doctor diagnosis. The waterproof and noninvasive design allows for more comfortable and accurate diagnostics. Our VCD diagnosis device will make the world a better place by reducing the misdiagnosis of VCD with asthma, which can be more expensive to treat. This device will help to diagnose VCD earlier, leading to better health outcomes and reduced economic burden on patients.