Exhibit Hall
One of the most educational aspects of a major meeting such as the Academy's is the chance to see the latest product developments as well as those on the drawing board for the near term, and to talk with colleagues and the manufacturers about the details of how such technology can be applied. As was the case at the AOPA meeting last fall, I didn't see any major advances that were the "buzz" of the meeting. But, there were a number of very clever incremental steps forward from a variety of sources.
The "talk of the town" was a new method to duplicate a well-fitting socket that is much less time consuming and complicated than present polyurethane resin techniques. The "DupliCone" is made from one of the low temperature "warm-n-form" plastics traditionally by therapists for short-term splinting.
It is simply placed loosely inside the socket to be copied, and slowly filled with very hot water. Within a few minutes, the plastic has softened and the force of the water gently pushes it into compliance with the socket walls. Gently pressure with wooded stirring spoon can be used to define undercuts and trimlines precisely. The hot water is then poured off and replaced with cool water, which causes the plastic to re-harden. The finished positive model is sufficiently rigid to maintain its shape, but flexible enough to be pulled out of the socket without damage.
Blatchford was showing a prototype of their latest carbon fiber dynamic response foot, to be called the "Mercury". The final product should be available by the time of the ISPO meeting this July. The goal is to have a malleolar level foot with the longest possible forefoot and hindfoot composite springs. The longer the spring length, the more potential there is for energy storage and return, so this may be an interesting development.
In the photo that follows, the length of the keel spring includes the distance indicated by the dotted line. In other words, it is attached as posteriorly as possible inside the hollow ankle block, and runs the full length of the shoe.
Another doodad that caught my eye was the new pediatric version of a four hole connector with infinite rotation from the Fillauer group. This is simply a smaller scale of their similar adult component, but such parts are much easier to adjust than the more common type that requires loosening and tightening all four socket attachment screws to make any changes in rotation.
In the realm of upper limb prostheses, two new designs caught my eye. First, Motion Control now offers special "snap connector" versions of their electrode-to-amplifier wiring harness. This makes it much more practical to embed the electrode buttons into a flexible liner because the amputee can readily snap and unsnap the wiring for donning and doffing. This will make it possible for many amputees who use myoelectric control to enjoy the benefits of a gel or roll-on silicone liner. Wayne Daly CPO described his experience with this approach in a recent article in the Journal of Prosthetic and Orthotics.
Finally, Bob Radocy MSTR from Therapeutic Recreation Systems has once again come up with a clever, mechanically simple alternative to the traditional voluntary opening hook or CAPP TD. In collaboration with the good folks at Rancho Los Amigos, Bob is developing a terminal device specifically designed for toddlers and very young children. Studies by Maurice LeBlanc CP and others have clearly shown that such children lack the physical strength in their shoulder girdle to operate VO devices.
The traditional approach to this dilemma has been the fitting of a passive TD or using a VO hook without the cabling required for activation. In recent decades, the only option to provide active grasp and release for very young children has been the use of an externally powered terminal device.
There will soon be a third option: the "L'il Easy". This is a very attractive, lightweight hand-like component made from tough polyurethane elastomer. The geometry of the fingers is such that if one attempts to insert an object into the hand, the thumb automatically opens sufficiently for the object to slip by the fingers. An elastic cable provides a gently closing force, and the overall geometry results in a surprisingly secure grasp on many objects.
We will need to develop terminology to describe this concept because it is easier for both caregiver and child than to manually open a VO device and "load" it with food or a toy. If the clinical trials are favorable, this may be a very effective way to teach small children about "grasp" without worrying about "release" until they are physically able to operate a VO TD when they are older.
|
Thank You
John,
As you probably recall I was unable to attend our Academy meeting. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your enlightening review of the meeting. I called many of my colleagues to see how the meeting went, and was pl... read more
|
|
|
