Griffith researchers have developed a diagnostic tool to streamline the custom fitting of bionic prosthetic limbs which usually involve an arduous process of trial and error.
The Griffith Center of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (GCORE) and Menzies Health Institute Queensland have reached a milestone with the successful fitting of a bionic limb using the new diagnostic and digital twin system.
Streamlining the process:
- The team generated a digital twin (virtual replica) of the patient’s residuum (the amputee’s stump) to create a custom 3D printed bionic limb.
- A direct skeletal attachment was surgically implanted into the patient’s living bone, which would enable the external attachment to the patient’s bionic prosthesis.
- The new artificial limb was then successfully fitted, and the specially designed diagnostic software used to test and assess the fitting, measuring the movement of the patient’s bones, muscles, tendons, fat, and skin.
