Got Data?

Readers,

I have had such an eventful week. My project has been incredibly exciting for the past seven days and I am so glad to finally update you all. After this post, I will explain everything about my first day of testing and include some incredibly promising results. Get excited!

First, I realize I haven't yet explained what a step is. Simply, a step is from heel strike to heel strike. "What's heel strike?" you may wonder, allow me to explain. One entire step moves like this: from a start position of your feet next to each other, your left food moves forward, touching the heel to the ground (heel strike) before the entire foot lands flat, then your right foot mocks this movement, and finally the left foot moves forward once more, again completing heel strike. The movement from left foot heel strike to left foot heel strike is one entire step. 

To analyze data, the team interpolates the data. Interpolation means to "estimate the value of something given certain data." (vocabulary.com). So, for example, if you're given the amount of children buying chocolate ice cream on April 1st and April 20th, you must interpolate the amount of children buying chocolate ice cream on April 10th. In context of this study, an example of interpolation is when given the time to complete the first agility test and the time to complete third agility test, you interpolate the time for completion of the second agility test. Additionally, we compare our data to averages, which is a qualitative analysis. Except for the comparison to averages, this is all data analysis in terms of how the subject is able to move--whether the WFH/BiOM/ERS are able to compare to an able-body's gait. But, there are other ways to compare a prosthesis and human ankle-foot system. Specifically, agility and metabolism.

In addition to performing tests for backward walking, forward walking and varied terrain walking, we perform metabolic testing. In metabolic analysis, we consider the subject's breathing rate and oxygen consumption. For example, a subject finds that passive device is more exhausting to wear because there's no powered plantar flexion. Meaning the subject has to put in more work and energy in order to move the device, whereas with the BiOM requires less of the subject. Furthermore, when someone is missing a limb, there is consequently less oxygen consumption. This is obvious considering there's less mass overall. But, this also means there's more oxygen consumption when wearing a prosthetic device. It's impossible to create a massless device, so it needs to have its own power source (which the BiOM does from the battery) but it's also important to note that a device with too much power, would alter the subject's gait. Looking at breathing rates is a great indicator of a subject's energy efficiency, rather than just comparing numbers. Because, remember, this all comes down to how the subject feels in order maintain a high quality of life.

On Monday, I went to NAU for five hours testing one subject's agility with the WFH and the stock BiOM. Agility testing is the last type of testing we perform. Like I mentioned in a previous post, agility testing is crucial for determining a patent's quality of life. The analysis for this is already showing wonderful results but I'll wait to include those details until my next post.

Pooja :)