The Florida State University (FSU), Tallahassee, High-Performance Materials Institute (HPMI) is leading a major partnership to develop the next generation of prosthetic sockets for military-veteran amputee patients, with the help of a two-year $4.4 million contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Innovation Initiative (VAi2). The project is aimed at addressing the shortcomings of current prosthetic socket systems through the development, testing, and delivery of “Socket Optimized for Comfort with Advanced Technology” (SOCAT) prototypes.
Zeng displays some of the advanced sensor technology that will be used in the new SOCAT prototypes. Photograph courtesy of Florida State University Photograph Services.
The project will integrate several technologies to create a more holistic transfemoral socket system that could be worn longer and more comfortably.
“Despite the advances made in prosthetics over the years, the socket continues to be a major source of discomfort for our amputees due to issues arising from poor fit, elevated temperatures and moisture accumulation,” said Changchun “Chad” Zeng, PhD, an assistant professor at the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering and principal investigator on the project. “These adverse conditions effectively limit the basic activities of amputees and can greatly diminish their quality of life. This award gives us the opportunity to tackle those problems so our veteran amputees can live better, more fulfilling lives.”
The SOCAT project will deliver prototypes that will feature a combination of advanced composite materials and technology, some of which are cornerstone research and development initiatives of HPMI. These components, such as auxetic materials, which have the unique property of getting fatter when stretched, and buckypaper, a carbon nanotube material, will be used to enable an intelligent prosthetic socket system that monitors the socket environment and self-adjusts on the fly. In addition, vital information on the socket environment, such as pressure, temperature, and moisture, will be recorded by the system and wirelessly transmitted to O&P practitioners to facilitate better patient care.
The SOCAT research team being led by HPMI consists of Advanced Materials Professional Services, Longwood, Florida; the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Atlanta; Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates, Orlando, Florida; Quantum Motion Medical, Orlando; and St. Petersburg College, Florida.
“This transformative project will leverage the latest advances in innovative materials and advanced manufacturing technologies to build the next-generation prosthetic socket system with significantly improved comfort,” said Ben Wang, FIIE, FSME, FWIF, executive director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute and a key researcher on the project. “These advanced materials can improve the fit, pressure points, humidity, and temperature of the prosthesis so that the patient can wear it longer and much more comfortably.”
In close collaboration with researchers at the HPMI, Georgia Tech’s team will conduct major research tasks such as creating the overall socket system design, evaluating advanced manufacturing technologies, and developing innovative adaptive materials to better manage changes in limb volume and pressure while providing active cooling and temperature control.
The first phase of the two-year contract will focus on developing and testing the specific technologies for individual socket components. The second phase will involve the refinement of each system/material and the complete production of the prototypes.
Editor’s note: This story was adapted from materials provided by Florida State University and Georgia Institute of Technology.
