Enhancing Mobility of Elderly Stroke Patients using sustainable solution
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Derby
Department Name: College of Science & Engineering
Abstract
Workplan:
WP1: Run trial business model at Burton Hospital Orthotics Department.
WP2: Finalizing material and 3d printing method [Multi Jet Fusion v/s selective laser sintering v/s cost]
WP3: Compliance Documentation
WP4: Market Analysis
WP5: Company Launch
Money will be spent on:
Staff time to do further clinical trial, design and manufacturing, building commercialization plan
Consumables for a bigger clinical trial (n=15)
Market analysis
Technical datasheet development following technical experimentations in the lab
Regulatory certification [Compliance documentation] for the manufacturing process and product for the company
Health Economics Evaluation - Pathway to NHS [CHEATA involvement] for the company
Marketing pathway development for the company
Accounting plan for the company
WP1: Run trial business model at Burton Hospital Orthotics Department.
WP2: Finalizing material and 3d printing method [Multi Jet Fusion v/s selective laser sintering v/s cost]
WP3: Compliance Documentation
WP4: Market Analysis
WP5: Company Launch
Money will be spent on:
Staff time to do further clinical trial, design and manufacturing, building commercialization plan
Consumables for a bigger clinical trial (n=15)
Market analysis
Technical datasheet development following technical experimentations in the lab
Regulatory certification [Compliance documentation] for the manufacturing process and product for the company
Health Economics Evaluation - Pathway to NHS [CHEATA involvement] for the company
Marketing pathway development for the company
Accounting plan for the company
| Description | The following has been achieved considering the project finished on the 29th of February: 1. New company registered, Printosis Ltd in December 2023 - Head of terms being discussed with University. 2. New collaborations developed with North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Blatchford > Key in data collection for Gen-AI algorithm development 3. Software prototype developed for automated design of ankle foot orthotics using 3d scanned data - Getting traction with partners [Pivot from sustainable orthosis design and manufacturing service company to software company to address challenges in adopting 3d scanning and 3d printing] 4. The website of the company has been developed which will allow to gain more traction with clinics and companies - for both data collection and software prototype testing. |
| Exploitation Route | We are hoping to get more traction via the website. This will allow sustainable design and manufacturing of orthotics devices by more orthotics companies and clinics using 3d scanners and 3d printers. It is to be noted that 70% of NHS Trust outsource their orthotics service to private companies. As such our main customers are private clinics at the moment. |
| Sectors | Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology |
| URL | http://printosis.com |
| Description | This project resulted in the development of a company 'Printosis' , the software of which will aim to: 1. Reduce the workload on orthotists and orthotic technicians 2. make the design and manufacturing of orthosis leaner, 3. Make 3d printers more accessible to orthotics clinics and companies 4. Allow patient to have access to orthotics devices such as ankle foot orthotics quicker which will in turn accelerate their pathway to mobility. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic |
| Description | North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS FoundationTrust and UoD |
| Organisation | North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration started late in the project. University of Derby has been working with Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Piyush Upadhyay to understand the clinical perspective of prescription of ankle foot orthosis. We developed a workplan to digitally capture the orthotist and orthotic technician's input during the design and manufacturing process of ankle foot orthosis. 3D printers and design software were used. |
| Collaborator Contribution | North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust provided the support of their consultant surgeon, orthotist and R and D department to support this collaboration. |
| Impact | Just the presentation at ZINC. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Orthotics company |
| Organisation | Blatchford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | New collaboration. Terms of collaboration still being discussed. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They will be collecting 3d scanned data for ai algorithm development. |
| Impact | Still being discussed. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | UHDB and UoD AFO Project collaboration |
| Organisation | University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The clinical scientist and deputy general Manager, Therapies and specialist rehabilitation from Royal Derby Hospital, Dr. Steve Attfield, came to us with a problem in the manufacturing of orthotics devices. At the University of Derby (UoD), we analysed the current design and manufacturing process and alternative design and manufacturing processes available. We developed a digitalised manufacturing workflow which involved 3d scanning of patient's foot, design of bespoke ankle foot orthosis and 3d printing of ankle foot orthosis. The UoD team brought forward test plans, options for materials and different ways forward. All research work, test plans and protocols, and grant funding application was done by UoD to support this collaboration. Mechanical testing of as built and artificially aged (UV, Humidity, temperature rise) petroleum (PA12) and plant based (PA11) 3d printed polyamides were performed on test samples. Testing on whole ankle foot orthoses were performed following which the AFO was tried by the volunteer and assessed with respect to fit and comfort and gait analysis. UV source, oven, powder based 3d printers [Formlab Fuse 1], Shimadzu Universal Tester, Vicon 3D motion capture system, kistler force plates, quintic high speed cameras, optojump software, solidworks software were used in this collaborative work. Our expertise in product design and development, 3d printing, mechanical testing, artificial ageing was used. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Royal derby hospital confirmed the design of ankle foot orthosis that was made, the feasibility of adopting new materials for this purpose and testing needed for clinical efficacy. They also provided us with NHS plastic based ankle foot orthosis to compare gait and motion data and donning and doffing process. They supported UoD by reviewing results and supporting us to interprete the results. |
| Impact | This collaboration is multidisciplinary involving clinical team, engineers and professors from Biomedical science, Exercise science, product design and manufacturing, mechanical engineering and human factors [psychology]. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Company Name | Printosis Ltd |
| Description | |
| Year Established | 2023 |
| Impact | We are a startup still getting traction with our partner hospitals and companies like Blatchford. |
| Description | Patient group workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | 11 Foot orthotics users and 4 practitioners participated in the in-person and online workshops organised by the University of Derby. This increased our knowledge on orthotics users and prescribers to understand the actual challenges faced by them which was not limited to what we were initially aware of. This process is ongoing and the aim is to work collaboratively with users and practitioners on this project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |