Grant: Engage Grants Program

This project brings together BCIT researchers specializing in Rehabilitation Engineering and the BC based Wiivv Wearables Co in a collaboration that will create significant innovation and will provide the tools to expand our knowledge base in a field that is still, in large part, a craft based art. Orthotic devices are currently either prefabricated and bought off the shelf on the high street or are 'custom' made using unquantifiable handcrafting methods. While it was known as long as 15 years ago that statistics based finite element modelling can be used to successfully optimize the design of orthotic devices, no technology existed at that time that could capitalize on that knowledge. Additive manufacturing methods, such as 3D printing change that. This project will use 3D modelling and printing techniques to investigate the potential and limitations of this technology in this sector by researching the ability to iteratively modify novel orthotic designs and measure their effect on human gait. The results will advance the state of both knowledge and productivity in this sector. By creating a synergistic effect between new production methods and new design tools, first and foremost, methodologies will be developed that support research and knowledge generation in the area of orthotic design. It will finally be possible to 'play' with orthotic designs and design principles in a quantifiable, iterative and repeatable manner, something that is currently not possible when relying on handcrafted orthotic devices in studies. At the same time the current process for production of a handcrafted orthotic device is time consuming and there are neither best practices nor a scientific knowledge basis upon which modification to designs can be based. The results of this project will change that so that the consumer can, in future, receive validated designs and devices faster and more cost effectively than ever before.