Project Overview

Patient positioning limitations onto and within medical imaging devices, which may include the initial patient transfer and/or maintaining static positioning during data acquisition and measurement, have rendered many individuals with disabilities unable to reap the benefits of imaging technologies. Often times, medical personnel have difficulty transferring patients onto the bed of an imaging modality because the patient is either too fragile or too obese. Once the patient is on the bed, the task of keeping a patient still is also difficult. To date, foam wedges and/or wrap-around “coils” are used for static positioning within CT and MRI scanning systems. The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Accessible Medical Instrumentation (RERC on AMI) National Design Competition is asking for a more versatile and effective means of connecting the wide range of disabilities and varying imaging systems that are encountered by medical physicians and technicians on a daily basis.

Files

• Project Timeline (February 17, 2006)
• Project Proposal (February 17, 2006)
• Letter of Intent (February 17, 2006)
• Midsemester Presentation (February 24, 2006)
• Demonstration of Design (February 24, 2006)
• Product Design Specifications (April 28, 2006)
• Journal Article (April 28, 2006)
• Outreach Presentation (May 2, 2006)
• Ergonomics and Safety Protocol (May 4, 2006)
• Information Sheet for Ergonomics and Safety Testing (May 4, 2006)
• Mechanical Testing Protocol (May 4, 2006)
• Computation of SNR in CT and MRI (May 4, 2006)
• Final Poster Presentation (May 4, 2006)

Contact Information

Team Members

• Josh Anders - Team Leader
• Megan Buroker - Communicator
• Alyssa Walsworth - BSAC
• Betsy Appel - BWIG

Advisor and Client

• Mitchell Tyler - Advisor
• John Enderle - Client

Related Projects

• Spring 2006: National Design Competition: Patient Positioning Aid
• Fall 2005: National Design Competition: Patient positioning aid