AIS Brace Improvement
Biomedical Engineering
Husain Alnajar, Arvin Brar, Karsten Lantz, Narendiran Raghu, and Srikar Samavedam
Abstract
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) affects about 2–4% of kids between 10 and 18. If not treated early, it can lead to serious health problems. Bracing is a common way to stop the curve from getting worse, but many kids don’t wear their brace as much as they should. It’s usually because it’s uncomfortable, hard to move in, or they don’t like how it looks. Our goal was to build a better brace—one that’s easier to wear, feels better, and looks more appealing. This semester, we redesigned the brace using CAD software and added a hinge system to make it easier to take on and off. We also 3D printed the new design and ran load distribution tests using three force sensors and an Instron machine. This helped us understand how the brace applies pressure and let us adjust it for more comfort. We used material data like Young’s modulus to choose materials that are strong but not too stiff.The final brace has adjustable straps, cooling fabrics, foam liners and breathable materials. We also let patients pick their own colors or patterns to make it more personal and less clinical-looking. We’re using CAD/CAM and 3D scanning to keep production affordable and easy to scale. Overall, we’re hoping this design helps kids wear their braces more often and possibly avoid major surgeries later, which can cost over $100,000.
