Prosthetic Interface with Selective Coatings for Vacuum Suspension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prosthetic liners face challenges in managing heat and moisture buildup, leading to skin issues like sores, allergies, and potential catastrophic failure due to the airtight nature required for vacuum suspension, which compromises comfort and stability.
Innovation Solution
A prosthetic interface with a membrane component featuring a flexible configuration and selective material coatings that create breathable regions for heat and moisture removal while maintaining impermeable regions for vacuum suspension, ensuring secure attachment without compromising comfort or stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the prosthetic liner is made airtight to enable vacuum suspension, then suspension reliability is improved, but heat and moisture buildup occurs causing skin issues
Solution Approach 1:
The prosthetic liner is divided into distinct functional zones: breathable regions with perforations or porous material for moisture vapor transmission, and impermeable regions for vacuum sealing. This segmentation allows simultaneous heat/moisture management and vacuum suspension reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the liner have different permeability properties. The liner incorporates locally differentiated material properties where certain areas are breathable while others are impermeable, optimizing both thermal comfort and suspension function in specific regions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the prosthetic liner is made breathable to remove heat and moisture, then user comfort is improved, but vacuum suspension reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The liner is segmented into breathable zones for thermal management and impermeable zones for vacuum sealing, allowing each region to perform its specialized function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner exhibits spatially varying permeability properties, with breathable regions positioned for heat/moisture evacuation and impermeable regions positioned for vacuum seal integrity, achieving local optimization of both functions.
3Temperature
If perspiration increases to cool the residual limb, then thermal comfort is improved, but friction decreases causing liner slippage and skin maceration
Solution Approach 1:
The liner incorporates porous or perforated materials that allow moisture vapor transmission for cooling while maintaining structural integrity and friction properties to prevent slippage and skin maceration.
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
The solution effectively manages heat and moisture buildup, enhancing user comfort and preventing skin issues while maintaining reliable vacuum suspension, thus improving the overall performance and safety of prosthetic interfaces.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one material coating can comprise a silicone coating defining a plurality voids along the inner side that in the breathable region allow fluid flow between the internal flow space and the skin surface
Implementation Method 2
at least one impermeable region along the outer side that allows for vacuum suspension between the prosthetic interface and a prosthetic socket
Implementation Method 3
the at least one material coating and the distal cup interact to provide a breathable interface for the removal of heat and/or moisture from the residual limb, improving user comfort without compromising the ability of the prosthetic interface to form a seal between the prosthetic liner and the socket for vacuum suspension
Data Source
AI summary
A prosthetic interface includes a body portion having an open proximal end and a closed distal end including a distal cup. The body portion includes a membrane component having a flexible configuration defining an internal flow space extending along a length of the membrane component between an inner side arranged to face a skin surface of a residual limb and an outer side arranged to face away from the skin surface. At least one material coating is selectively applied to the membrane component that interacts with at least one of the membrane component and the distal cup to define at least one breathable region along the inner side that allows fluid flow between the internal flow space and the residual limb, and at least one impermeable region along the outer side that allows for vacuum suspension between the prosthetic interface and a prosthetic socket.