Instrumented Knee Brace
M-Sense Research Group | University of Vermont
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Smart Knee Brace for ACL Recovery
The Instrumented Knee Brace was designed to give physical therapists objective data on muscle activation and joint movement during ACL recovery, without requiring a patient to come in and use expensive clinical equipment. The broader goal was a step toward remote monitoring, giving physicians and physical therapists a way to track recovery from a distance.
I led the mechanical design and sensor integration on the project through three major revisions, working closely with an electrical engineer to take the brace from an early rigid concept to a functioning, wearable sensor platform.
Patient comfort turned out to be the hardest problem to solve. Getting the strap and sensor placement right took repeated fitting sessions, and the final prototype successfully collected real accelerometer, potentiometer, and EMG data.
Version 1
A rigid brace restricting knee flexion and extension, paired with EMG sensors around the joint to monitor muscle activity during physical therapy.
Version 2
Added a custom circuit board and three new sensors, two accelerometers near the femur and tibia and a precision potentiometer on the hinge, while relocating the battery and rearranging electronics to slim the design.
Version 3
Sewn into a standard ACL compression sleeve, with thin EMG sensors placed inside for constant skin contact, minimizing the brace's impact on the patient.
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