What are the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project? How are these risks being managed? What contingency plans are ready?
- The soft case may not cure well, we have not worked with this material before.
- The soft ase may cause irritation, or absorb vibrations from the LRAs, negating vibration feedback
- Contingency plan: We will be experimenting with the different materials and case shapes/dimensions to find the best one in terms of user comfort and minimizing vibration absorption
- The FPA analysis may be deeply inaccurate, more time may be needed to tune parameters to adjust for each walking pace pushing back test time
- Will be consulting our two PhD students for what work they’ve already seen in the space of FPA analysis, what research papers have documented precise error ranges so that I can go into finetuning and developing the FPA analysis algorithms with a base line knowledge of error rate
Were any changes made to the existing design of the system (requirements, block diagram, system spec, etc)? Why was this change necessary, what costs does the change incur, and how will these costs be mitigated going forward?
No change was made to the existing design of the project.
Provide an updated schedule if changes have occurred.
N/A
Part A (Rhea): … with consideration of global factors. Global factors are world-wide contexts and factors, rather than only local ones. They do not necessarily represent geographic concerns. Global factors do not need to concern every single person in the entire world. Rather, these factors affect people outside of Pittsburgh, or those who are not in an academic environment, or those who are not technologically savvy, etc.
The LKR system addresses the global need for accessible and personalized rehabilitation technologies, in particular for individuals with chronic knee pain. Knee osteoarthritis affects millions of individuals worldwide. In 2050, there will be an estimated 642 million individuals with knee osteoarthritis [1]. Traditional gait retraining often requires repeated visits to specialized rehabilitation clinics with motion capture systems and trained therapists, creating barriers for individuals who live far away from medical centers, have limited financial resources, or cannot easily access consistent care. By providing real time vibrotactile feedback through a portable device, LKR allows users to retrain their gait during everyday walking activities without the need for expensive laboratory equipment. This system supports broader access to rehabilitation tools outside specialized clinical environments. The feedback provided by the device uses simple directional cues rather than complex visual or language-based cues, allowing individuals with varying levels of technological literacy or language backgrounds to interpret the feedback.
Part B (Kaitlyn): … with consideration of cultural factors. Cultural factors encompass the set of beliefs, moral values, traditions, language, and laws (or rules of behavior) held in common by a nation, a community, or other defined group of people.
The attitude towards aging in the United States is severely negative, and how we treat our elders reflects that. There is a strong divide between the old and young, and one cause of this is how inaccessible daily life is for non able-bodied individuals. Specifically, knee joint pain can make both daily necessities (ie. transport) and recreational activities (ie. concerts) challenging to engage in. The LKR system broadly addresses this by providing older individuals with the chance to improve their joint health and feel more comfortable and present in their everyday lives.
Additionally, due to our choice of physical components and removing the need for external human assistance, our system is designed to be lightweight and independent. This reduces the cultural stigma of being perceived as reliant or susceptible – empowering older individuals to improve their health on their own terms.
Part C (Lakshmi): … with consideration of environmental factors. Environmental factors are concerned with the environment as it relates to living organisms and natural resources.
Traditional knee rehab requires patients to make repeated trips to a physical therapist’s office, each visit contributing to transportation emissions and the energy demands of running a large medical facility. LKR shifts knee rehabilitation to the user’s home, avoiding the environmental costs associated with transportation. The small size and low power consumption we have been designing towards to ensure longer battery life also have the added effect of being far less energy-intensive than the large electronic walking harnesses found in medical centers.
Furthermore, we have chosen to build upon an existing piece of technology that almost all patients will own: their smartphone. Rather than creating another, more specialized piece of technology beyond the wearables to process data, by using an existing technology that most patients have access to can reduce e-waste. When a patient has confirmed that the course of their gait retraining has been completed, they can simply uninstall the app, rather than having to throw out another specialized electronic device.
