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As a nurse working with orthopedic surgeries on a daily basis, this sensor could revolutionize knee rehabilitation.  "This device has the capacity to be used continuously by rehab patients without having to exchange batteries, all while statistics on patient movement characteristics is shared with the rehabilitation team" (Azambuja, 2018). Having a continuous flow of data could help researchers determine what exercises people are using if they are more effective than others.  In addition to knee rehabilitation, this technology could be used for all sorts of sorts of monitoring. "Perhaps this kind of technology will one day allow for monitoring of other parts of the body, with the heart being of particular interest" (Medgadget, 2018).

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Engineers at the University of Waterloo Canada have developed a self-powered knee sensor for patients who are undergoing knee rehabilitation that can power itself with electromagnetism from the triboelectric effect. "The device can effectively convert the shear force and bending movement to electrical voltage through the hybridized system with exerting an external force" (Askari et al., 2018).
The tubular shaped device when flexed charges the sensor and an antenna that can be used for wireless data transmission, to send information straight to a rehabilitation agency.
This technology can also be used for a myriad of different aspects.

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Brandon- is a responsible team member that is passionate about his job and will see the project through until completion.
Daisy- drives improvement by encouraging others, and helps coach those who need an extra push to finish the job.
Isabelle-partners with Daisy to help guide the team and motivates them to strive to do their best and is sensitive to everyone's needs.
Matthew- is a perfectionist who likes to ensure his team has an astounding final product.
Pablo- has an exciting personality that gets other excited about their work and will have an optimistic outlook.

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Askari, H., Asadi, E., Saadatnia, Z., Khajepour, A., Khamesee, M. B.,  & Zu, J. (2018)

A flexible tube-based triboelectric–electromagnetic sensor for knee rehabilitation assessment. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 279, 694-704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2018.05.016

Medgadget (2018, August 29) Flexible Self-Powered Knee Sensor for Rehab Monitoring. Retrieved from

https://www.medgadget.com/2018/08/flexible-self-powered-knee-sensor-for-rehab-monitoring.html

Azambuja, E. (2018) Flexible self-powered knee sensor for rehab monitoring. Retrieved from https://medical.electronicspecifier.com/testing-and-monitoring/flexible-self-powered-knee-sensor-for-rehab-monitoring

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Flexible Self-Powered Knee Sensor for Rehab Monitoring

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Flexible Self-Powered Knee Sensor for Rehab Monitoring

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1. Still in development phase
2. Not designed for comfort
3. Has not been tested with humans
4. Data delivery system not developed

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1. Self powered/charging
2. Allows for conituous use and monitoring
3. Can wireless transmit patient movement data directly to rehabilitation team
4. Does not require extra batteries
5. Cost efficient
6. Could be used for other parts of the body (other joints and even heart)

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August 15, 2018 By Sensors and Actuators: A Physical

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Research study with pictures can be found here.

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Highlights

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A new type of self-powered sensor with applications in angular motion sensing is presented.

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Triboelectric and electromagnetic generators are hybridized in a singular package.

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An optimized configuration is determined for the electromagnetic configuration of the self-powered sensor.

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The potential of the device for joint and knee rehabilitation is discussed.

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Design and modelling of both EMG and TENG parts are fully discussed.

Abstract

This paper reports a novel hybridized flexible electromagnetic-triboelectric generator for vibration/deflection monitoring as it is implemented in a cantilever or clamped-clamped configuration. The proposed self-powered sensor operates based on the concepts of electromagnetism and triboelectricity. The fabricated device consists of a stack of magnets and coils, a flexible tube as the main body, and also, highly flexible, mechanically and thermally durable, and cost-effective polymeric materials. The configuration of the electromagnetic component is optimized based on the magnetization direction of the utilized magnets. The device can effectively convert the shear force and bending moment to electrical voltage through the hybridized system with exerting an external force. The performance of the self-powered sensor is investigated for different cases including a single stack and also a double stack of magnetic components. The design of the triboelectric component of the device is based on the vertical contact separation mode. Results of the paper show how the change of configuration of the magnetic components alters the electrical output of the sensor. A detailed experimental analysis is provided to show the capability of the device under different excitation conditions for both triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and electromagnetic generator (EMG) components of the sensor. As the experimental analysis shows, the proposed self-powered system has the potential to be utilized for knee rehabilitation, as it shows explicit results under periodical bending load with different frequencies and amplitudes of excitation.

Keywords

Hybridized nano generator

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Hassan Askari is a researcher at Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Department of University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. He is currently developing new types of self-powered sensors for harsh environment. His area of expertise includes self-powered sensors, nonlinear vibrations, nano structures, and applied mathematics. His research works result in more than 50 papers in refereed well-known journals and conferences.

Ehsan Asadi received his PhD degree from University of Waterloo, ON, Canada M.Sc degree from the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is currently a researcher in Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering department at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada where he is working toward developing electromagnetic hybrid vibration isolation systems. His area of expertise is design, modelling, and experimental analyses of electromechanical, vibration isolation and dynamic systems. He has successfully applied his skills to applications like electromechanical actuators and vibration isolators, rehabilitation, robotics and haptics.

Zia Saadatnia received his BSc and MASc degrees from Iran University of Science and Technology and University of Ontario Institute of Technology, respectively. He is currently a PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at University of Toronto, Canada. His current research is mainly focused on Energy harvesting, Self-Powered Sensors and Nonlinear Vibration.

Amir Khajepour is a Professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering with the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, and the Canada Research Chair in Mechatronic Vehicle Systems. He has developed an extensive research program that applies his expertise in several key multidisciplinary areas. His research interests include modeling and control of dynamic systems. His research has resulted in several patents and technology transfers. He is the author of more than 400 journal and conference publications and five books. He is a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Mir Behrad Khamesee received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Mie University, Tsu, Japan, in 1996 and 1999, respectively, both in mechanical engineering (mechatronics) and under a Japanese government scholarship.

He worked in industry in Japan from 1999 to 2002. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the University of Alberta, Canada, from 2002 to 2003. In March 2004, he became an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, and he was promoted two times; in July 2009 as an Associate Professor, and in July 2015 as a Professor. Dr. Khamesee is the director of Maglev Microrobotics Laboratory, and his research interests include design, modeling, and control of advanced mechatronics systems, particularly microrobotic magnetic levitation and regenerative electromagnetic shock absorbers.

Dr. Khamesee is involved in conferences program committees, has organized several sessions at international conferences, and is a Technical Reviewer for several Journals.

Jean Zu graduated with B.Sc. in 1984 and M.Sc. in 1986 from Tsinghua University. After two years of working as a lecturer and researcher at Tsinghua University, she came to Canada, and obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba in 1993. In January 1994, she joined the University of Toronto, Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering as an Assistant Professor. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 1999 and to Full Professor in 2004. From June 2008 to June 2009, she served as Associate Chair of Research. She currently serves as Chair of the Department (from July 1, 2009). Her research has been focused on vibration control, dynamics analysis, energy harvesting, and actuators.

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A flexible tube-based triboelectric-electromagnetic sensor for knee rehabilitation assessment

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A new type of self-powered sensor with applications in angular motion sensing is presented. * Triboelectric and electromagnetic generators are hybridized in a singular package. * An optimized configuration is determined for the electromagnetic configuration of the self-powered sensor. * The potential of the device for joint and knee rehabilitation is discussed.