The Sensors, Energy and Automation Laboratory of the University of Washington, in collaboration with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, has developed a prototype Fringing Field Sensor Array (FFSA).
“An improved version of the previously developed Fringing Field Plantar Array, the Fringing Field Sensor Array is a flexible collection of high-resolution pressure sensors that can be incorporated into the lining of artificial limbs, accurately and noninvasively measuring sheer stress, pressure and other characteristics at the limb-prosthetic interface,” Kishore Sundara-Rajan stated in a press release. Sundara-Rajan was a sensor engineer on the project at the University of Washington.
The sensitivity and range of the data that the FFSA can provide will allow doctors and researchers to design artificial limbs that are specifically tailored for an individual patient’s residual limb surface. It can also be used in diagnostic devices to measure contact patterns and reveal strain and stress information, enabling the design of prosthetics that are more comfortable and natural.
