Analysis of Procedures and Instruments for the Digitization of the Foot and Ankle Aimed at Orthosis Development

Abstract

Orthoses are products considered assistive technology for maintaining or expanding the skills of people with physical disabilities (Pwd), promoting greater social integration. All Pwd's who have sequelae of hemiplegia/hemiparesis need to use an orthosis. Generally, such an artifact has characteristics that interfere negatively during its use. The design of products (orthesis and footwear) separately often meets the functional requirements but has limitations regarding the conditions to facilitate usability and offer attractive aesthetic attributes that can promote a pleasant experience for people with disabilities. Such aspects influence the way people move around and interfere negatively in the physical rehabilitation process. Rapid prototyping can contribute to the development of these products in a personalized way and provide better patient satisfaction. For this, it is necessary to develop a digital model with reliable dimensions and formats based on three-dimensional scanning. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the quality of the digital model through image capture by different instruments and image processing procedures to obtain the three-dimensional model. Three-dimensional scanning was performed in a hemiparetic woman, patient at APAE-Jaú. The procedures performed were Kinect device and Skanect software; tomography scanning, and digital photogrammetry technique using a professional camera and the software Agisoft Metashape. All scans were aimed at the development and production of orthoses. It was noted that the most efficient digital model for the development of a customized orthosis was the tomography procedure. The software for developing the three-dimensional model is free, however, data collection to obtain the image (CT scanner) is expensive.

Keywords: Ergonomics, Orthesis, 3d body digitisation, Assistive technology

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1004851