Brian McTigue, Esther Alao, Fan Feng, Jonathan Whitford
Non-compliance to the physician’s prescriptions on gradual weight bearing on the foot and ankle during the recovery period could lead to the risk of post-surgery complications which could in turn lead to unnecessary costs of treatment. Hence, foot and ankle patients need a way to gradually adjust the amount of load applied on their foot to aid the healing of their bones and there is a need for a feedback interface that alerts the patients when they are going against the recommendations of their physicians’. The Smart Ankle Foot Orthosis is a walking boot which solves the problems of patient non-compliance to partial weight bearing plans, and prevents pressure ulcers in diabetic populations. The device operates by measuring the pressure distribution across the foot, and adjusting bladders of air built into the boot. The device is controlled using a smart device connected over Bluetooth to the boot. The boot is built so that some of the user’s weight is absorbed by the boot, reducing the overall force transferred to the foot. An air pump gradually increases the bladder volume to increase overall force transfer to the foot. Presently there are no orthopedic walking boots that offer feedback mechanisms for pressure distribution across a patient’s foot, nor do any devices offer the ability to automatically adjust the pressure distribution pattern or amount of partial weight bearing of the foot like the Smart Ankle Foot orthosis.