Measuring Sock with Spiraling Fiber for Edema Volume Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing lower extremity edema, such as visual and photographic assessments, are qualitative and inadequate for remote monitoring and determining volume changes over time, lacking the precision and consistency needed for effective medical decision-making.
Innovation Solution
A wearable textile device, referred to as a measuring sock, incorporates a spiraling inelastic measurement fiber with a measurement gauge to provide quantitative measurements of foot and ankle volume changes, allowing for accurate and remote monitoring of swelling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual and manual assessment methods are used, then the assessment process is simple and quick, but the measurement precision and reliability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual assessment with an automated image processing system that captures foot images and automatically calculates volume changes through pixel analysis, eliminating subjectivity and improving measurement precision while reducing operational complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates digital copies of the foot through photography and uses these copies for measurement analysis, allowing remote assessment and multiple measurements without requiring the physical presence of the care provider
2Measurement precision
If photographic records are used, then quantitative data can be obtained, but the difficulty in determining volume from 2D images and ensuring consistent foot placement increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual volume calculation from 2D images with an automated image processing algorithm that converts 2D photographic data into 3D volume measurements through computational methods, eliminating the difficulty of manual volume determination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from 2D photographic images to 3D volume measurements by using image processing techniques that reconstruct three-dimensional volume data from two-dimensional image captures, enabling accurate volume assessment
3Reliability
If manual assessment is performed by different care providers at different times, then flexibility in monitoring is maintained, but consistency and reliability of measurements deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human judgment and manual measurement with an automated image processing system that applies consistent algorithms to all measurements, ensuring reliability and consistency across different care providers and time points while maintaining monitoring flexibility
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise, quantitative tracking of volume changes in lower extremities over time, facilitating consistent medical assessments and remote patient monitoring, improving the accuracy and reliability of edema evaluation.
Implementation Method 1
a substantially inelastic measurement fiber that spirals around sock body 22 in concentric or coaxial loops
Implementation Method 2
Measurement gauge 32 shows how much measurement fiber 24 has been displaced due to expansion of sock body 22
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for measuring volume of a lower extremity includes a substantially elastic sock body with a leg end, a toe end, and a length between the leg end and the toe end. The sock body may be dimensioned to substantially snugly receive a lower extremity. A measurement thread is attached to the sock body in a manner that causes the measurement thread to wrap around the lower extremity in multiple coils along the length of the sock body. The apparatus also includes a measurement gauge that measures at least one attribute of the measurement thread that corresponds to sock volume. In one embodiment, the measurement thread is substantially inelastic and has a fixed end, and the measurement gauge measures length of the measurement thread between the fixed end and the measurement gauge. Other embodiments are described and claimed.