Please welcome Dr. Albert Shih from the University of Michigan as he discusses the cyber design and additive manufacturing of custom assistive devices.
As always refreshments are available in 428 Daniels Hall 30 minutes before the seminar begins.
The cyber-based design and additive manufacturing (AM) for custom assistive devices are presented. Assistive devices, the orthoses and prostheses (O&P), are critical to help people to regain their mobility, function, and independent living. Custom O&P have personalized fit, better comfort, and superior efficacy in treatment for users. A cyber-physical service system (CPSS) has been developed for the University of Michigan Orthotic and Prosthetic Center (UMOPC). CPSS has the digital scanning, cyber-design center, and material extrusion (MEX) for AM that aim to improve the quality of patient care and service of custom orthoses. This CPSS will be implemented at UMOPC for custom ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). The fabrication time and material cost for AM are critical to provide advantages over the conventional plaster molding for fabrication. This system targets to achieve the one-day visit for patients who need O&P. Key elements of CPSS presented in this talk include the: 1) 3D scanning or CT to identify the geometry of the body shape, 2) computer aided design for clinicians to modify the shape, 3) cyber- and model-based design, 4) wavy structure tool path planning for O&P, 5) MEX for hard structure and soft silicone for wearable assistive devices, 6) quality control using the nano-CT technology, and 7) inertia measurement unit (IMU) for gait analysis, evaluation, and monitoring of users. Advanced O&P are soft, comfortable, and stretchable wearable assistive devices. The silicone MEX for AM of porous foam and sensors are presented to illustrate the potential for future soft robotics and assistive devices manufacturing research.
Dr. Albert Shih is Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Integrative Systems + Design (ISD) at University of Michigan and Assistant Director of Technology, Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO). He was a manufacturing process development engineer at Cummins (1991-1998) and an Associate Professor at NCSU Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (1998-2002). Dr. Shih’s research area is design and manufacturing. He is a pioneer in biomedical manufacturing, the application of manufacturing technologies to advance the safety, quality, efficiency and speed of healthcare service and biomedical science. He has 9 US patents, a textbook in Machining and Machine Tools, and authored or co-authored over 180 archival journal papers, 100 conference papers in manufacturing and biomedical sciences. Dr. Shih is the recipient of many awards including the Fulbright Scholar, ASME Milton Shaw Manufacturing Research Medal, Society of Automotive Engineers Ralph Teetor Educational Award, and Best Paper awards in ASME International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC), North American Manufacturing Research Conference (NAMRC), International Conference on Frontiers of Design and Manufacturing (ICFDM) and several other manufacturing and healthcare conferences. Dr. Shih is Fellow of both ASME and SME and associate member of CIRP.
