Portable Ankle Measuring Proprioception Device (PAMPD)
Background
Stroke survivors often experience significantly impaired proprioception, or the awareness of the body's position and movement. A significant area of concern is the ankle, which if proprioception is lost could impair gait and increase the risk of falls among other adverse events. To aid in rehabilitation, the project AMPD (Ankle Measuring Proprioception Device) was developed to assess ankle proprioception. AMPD established a predictive relationship between proprioception and rehabilitation effectiveness. However, AMPD has two main issues that prevent the device from being clinically viable: size and user interface. The design is built around a full chair, which means it takes up a high area of floor space. The device also requires an external computer, increasing cost per unit and complexity.
Goal and Objectives
Our objective is to develop a clinically viable device for the measurement of ankle proprioception. Our first goal is to make a compact version of the device that can fit the carry-on dimensions of an airline (20”x10”x16”) and stay under a weight maximum of 25kg. The second goal is for the device to administer diagnostic tests, which entails an angle reading tolerance of 1 degree and tests the patient’s ability to determine the position of the impaired foot relative to the functional one (joint position reproduction, or JPR). Our final goal is to engage patients in rehabilitation therapy through the integration of a game.
Timeline:
Nov. 1: Structural Decomposition
- Identified physical constraints for system (10/24/25)
- Compiled list of potential suppliers (10/31/25)
- Conducted trade studies (10/31/25)
Nov. 21: Intermediate Prototype Build
- Full CAD (11/14/25)
- Parts ordered (11/17/25)
- Part fabrication (11/17/25-11/21/25)
- Basic functions code (11/21/25)
January 31: Therapeutic + V&V Build
- Game integration (January 6)
- Full system integration (January 15)
- Comparative study (January 31)
More Information
Gamification
A primary focus of our sponsor, Professor David Reinkensmeyer, and his lab, the UCI Biorobotics Lab, is the gamification of therapy, or in other words, making games out of novel therapeutic methods to bolster user engagement. PAMPD is a prime candidate for gamification, as its small and user-friendly form factor makes the device more accessible to patients, making regular use less of a daunting task and more of a fun and pleasant experience. As such, the team has developed a number of game ideas based on new and modern classics to both challenge and entertain our patients while they perform these clinically proven diagnostic and therapeutic methods.
Usability
As part of our objective to spread the ability of evaluating proprioception in clinical settings, a primary consideration of ours is to ensure the usability of our device for nearly any patient in need. As such, we have designed our device to accommodate relevant proportions up to the 95th percentile as defined for U.S. adults. With this in mind, we are able to ensure that our device is usable for virtually all patients it may encounter.