FURI | Spring 2020

Using a Wireless Electronic Platform as Part of a Smart Knee Brace to Aid Rehabilitation and Prevent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reinjury in Athletes

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are one of the most common knee injuries among American athletes with up to 250,000 incidents per year. The objective of this project was to design and build a robust electronic system that can be securely fitted onto a return-to-sport approved knee brace and provides patient data to monitor performance and potential risk of injury. A wearable microcontroller was connected to two inertial measurement units (IMU) to collect kinematic data in a sport-specific environment. From this data, in-depth biomechanical metrics can be monitored in real-time to provide insights into an individual’s performance return-to-play.