Week 4
24.02.2025
The Matlab code has been studied all day to obtain the displacement between the bone and the limb. The printing failed again because there was a problem with the printer and we had to postpone the experiment.
25.02.2025
The printing failed again and the experiment just with the arm without the socket was carried out to obtain an .avi file of bone and muscle displacement. Then the Matlab code was modified to get a distance from our own files. The design was cut into two parts to test the printer again and printing was started.
26.02.2025
Finally, the printer worked and the first prototype was printed.
However, there was a mistake with the screws, and we had to make larger holes. We had screws with a diameter of 6 mm (M6), and we found out that the holes should be 6.5-7.0mm. Moreover, it was necessary to remove the thread, since nuts were used in our project. In addition, the sensor did not fit into the design, and the old design is being developed now.
Another design was finished today and sent for printing, so we will have other options.
Nevertheless, the experiment was successful because we used a hair band to connect the parts, and we got a good video of the movement of bones and muscles. Then we analyzed the data in Matlab.
27.02.2025
The MATLAB code was further analyzed, and we encountered an issue with the ultrasound (US) video: icons in the app were obstructing the bone region. We successfully removed these icons, resulting in clearer visualization and improved tracking of bone movement.Additionally, we spent the entire day developing a new design. The key modifications included:
- Enlarging the probe scan in Meshmixer.
- Increasing the hole size to ensure a proper fit for the probe.
- Reducing the distance between the probe and the socket to apply more pressure on the skin.
Two design variations were created based on probe placement:
- On the inner side of the forearm, where there is less tissue.
- On the outer side of the forearm, where there is more tissue.
Furthermore, the protocol was documented for the TikiWiki platform, and work on the poster has begun. One experiment with the first prototype was performed to test the outer side of the forearm (more tissue) and compare the results with the video of the inner side (less tissue).
28.02.2025
The day was sunny and we were able to calibrate the structure sensor. However, it ran out of the battery and we couldn’t perform the scanning of the leg. The new design is under development such that we don’t have the CAD file of the probe and we will need to find a way to tighten it with the plastic big screw and try to use less material.