Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Open Access Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (MS)

Administrative Home Department

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Advisor 1

Keat Ghee Ong

Committee Member 1

Jingfeng Jiang

Committee Member 2

Smitha Rao

Abstract

Post-rehabilitation of orthopedic surgery is critical for bone fracture treatments. Current protocols are not based on quantitative assessments of the patient condition but they are conservative estimations mostly based on prior experience and physician’s opinions. While there are quantitative methods for assessing the recovery of orthopedic surgery, they are typically very expensive and provide only snapshots during the healing process. A standalone, reconfigurable, embedded wireless sensor system with digitally controlled signal conditioning system capable of providing continuous monitoring of bone healing is developed. Strain sensor measurements were validated against a commercial mechanical loading instrument for relevant loads that an animal (ovine) would experience during in vivo testing (up to 250 N). The loader was configured to apply a maximum force of 250 N to the bone fixation plate at a rate of 1000 N/min. Cyclic testing of the system showed optimal stability and no observable drift in the sensor. The sensor was also implemented in a rodent model for monitoring force loading at an internal bone fixation plate. The platform’s small, robust, and low power nature is usefulness for continuous wireless monitoring and actuation in many biomedical applications.

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