A pressure injury is a complex chronic wound that forms when the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to soft tissue regions is compromised due to prolonged pressure, commonly over bony prominences, which results in local ischemia, cell death and potentially fatal infections. Its early diagnosis and prediction are challenging, despite technological advancements. It remains one of the most burdensome, costly and fatal secondary medical conditions, which affects millions of people annually. Here, we present a soft, flexible and stretchable pressure sensor array made out of silicone elastomer material, carbon black particles and stretchable, conductive, silver-plated fabric. Its working principle is based on capacitive sensing, where electrodes form an array of parallel plate-like capacitors that enable the detection of pressure due to the deformation of the dielectric layer. We explored a variety of different dielectric architectures consisting of pillar structures of various shapes that make it compressible and potentially increase sensitivity. The sensor array is designed to be shape-conformable, scalable in size and resolution, and able to detect and measure pressure within the desired pressure range for pressure injuries (0-200 mmHg) over short (≤15 minutes) and long periods (≥8 hours) with consistent accuracy and low repeatability error.
Nylon actuators yield a large reversible strain (5-20%+), are compact (300-µm) and provide a low-cost option for biomedical applications. We propose to develop an active textile composed of cotton, silver-coated nylon, and nylon actuators. We will assess the feasibility of nylon actuators to generate effective cycle rates and compression pressures similar to those of clinically effective pneumatic compression pumps. Our aim is to establish correlations between three nylon actuator configurations (parallel, parallel at 30°, and crisscrossed at 30°), thermal distribution, and compression pressure, as well as between power input and nylon actuator cycle rate. A microcontroller unit (MCU) and a pressure sensor will be developed for the nylon actuators to ensure that the actuators are under constant strain, while monitoring pressure, current, voltage and temperature. The development of an actively contracting textile could have significant benefits for portable compression therapies.
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