Knee Tracker a Smart Device for Prehab and Postop Monitoring after Knee Surgery

Shameem Sampath1, Daniel Darvill2, John Ferguson2, Joseph O'Connor2, Henry Warhurst2

  • 1The Bluespot Knee Clinic
  • 2Imperial College, London

Details

12:00 - 14:00 | Thu 10 Nov | Maya Ballroom Foyer | ThPO.30

Session: HI-POCT Poster Session and POC Technologies Demonstrations

Abstract

The Knee Tracker is a revolutionary knee rehabilitation technology; with the potential to reduce the duration of a patient's hospital stay following surgery and to provide early warning of problems after discharge. The Knee Tracker prototype consists of a surfboard-shaped device which fits under the patient's heel, and an Android app. Games on the smartphone can be controlled using data collected from the device, transforming rehabilitation into a fun and rewarding exercise. Moreover, data summarizing the patient's performance is sent to the supervising clinical staff, allowing for an in-depth quantification of the patient's ability. The Knee Tracker is designed for use with the Straight Leg Lift and Knee Flexion exercises. A variety of potential solutions were initially proposed, but a surfboard inspired design was settled upon. Technology within the device consisted of an integrated Bluetooth Low Energy transceiver and microcontroller, a 3-axis accelerometer and a force-sensitive resistor. Data is sent via BLE to the user's smartphone, and is used to control the position of characters within a variety of games. All aspects of the final product were extensively tested for technical performance. Finally, face-to-face focus groups were conducted to assess the overall functionality of the product. A successful prototype was delivered, and will be developed into a full-scale product by its patent holder, Shameem Sampath.