Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : May 27, 2020 - May 30, 2020
Blood clot forms in a lower limb due to a prolonged period of inactivity. It can be prevented by improving the deep vein circulation through ankle exercises. However, existing automatic exercise assisting devices are bulky. In this study, we designed a novel wearable deep vein thrombosis prevention device using thin McKibben muscles. The device has no rigid structure; it is composed almost entirely of soft materials, is extremely lightweight, and occupies little space around the leg. Ankle exercises, including dorsiexion-plantarexion, inversion-eversion, and abduction-adduction, can be performed in all directions using the proposed device. From the preliminary clinical evaluation, the popliteal vein velocity in the lower limbs, measured using an ultrasonic ow meter, increased after the device assisted ankle exercises. The results indicate that the proposed device can effectively improve blood circulation.
