The objective of this project is to design and prototype a compact and lightweight shear wave elastography device that can help assess muscle stiffness during human dynamic tasks by examining the speed of a shear wave through the muscle.
Sponsored by: Dr. Daniel Cortes – Penn State Mechanical Engineering
Team Members
Almadelia Cardona Chizbel Oham Gabriel Valentin Garrett Campbell Josiah Minotto Megan Cheng Menghan Li
Instructor: Dr. Cheng Dong
Project Poster
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Project Video
Project Summary
Overview
Shear wave elastography in the current market produces ultrasound imaging using shear waves to determine the location and severity of muscle stiffness, but only when a patient is at rest. It does not account for a patient in motion performing tasks such as walking, running, or lifting. If it could do this, it would help determine the extent of an injury and possibly help the patient heal more quickly. The present issue is that the current elastography devices on the market cannot be used when the patient is in motion due to the size of the machine required.
Objectives
Design and prototype a compact and lightweight elastography device that can help assess muscle stiffness for human dynamic tasks through the speed of a shear wave through a muscle. It will have the potential to overcome the mobility limitations of existing clinical ultrasound or shear wave elastography devices.
Approach
– Research was completed to ensure that this design did not overlap with current patents. On top of that, research was done to see what the best material and components are necessary to accomplish the goal.
– Every week, the group met with our sponsor and mentor to discuss the current status of the project, as well as the future improvements and the data needed to be collected.
– The electrical components of the device were drawn out to help have a better understanding of how each component will affect the overall device. The packaging or housing unit of the device was initially drawn on SOLIDWORKS. This was done by taking measurements of all the components and creating a housing unit that could hold everything.
– The phantom to simulate muscle tissue was originally made with 2% agar but then was created with 1% after this was determined to provide better results. A phantom made of gelatin was also used in the last testing phases.
– The first round of testing was to ensure the verification of devices. One pair of transducers was placed facing each other in deionised water, and the sent and received signal were read on a lab oscilloscope. Afterwards, the testing moved to a phantom using an Analog Discovery 2 module.
– Three prototypes were made. The first was a base model of the electrical circuits to be used in the project. The second prototype was an electrical circuit with the transducers on a phantom using the function generator and oscilloscope from the Analog Discovery 2. The last prototype was combining everything together in the 3D printed mold and casing and incorporating the Raspberry Pi 4 for wireless operation through a computer.
– The results were the signals displayed on the Analog Discovery 2 oscilloscope that showed the signal received by the receiving transducers.
Outcomes
– The sponsor now has a functional starting prototype that performs the desired task of determining the speed of a shear wave through a muscle-like medium.
– The sponsor will save time in a base/skeleton model for future research. It will also serve as an advantageous starting point for future individuals that will work on the project.
– The project created an approach that can evaluate muscles, as opposed to the previous existing prototypes on tendons.