US 12,011,257 B2
Wearable device to monitor musculoskeletal loading, estimate tissue microdamage and provide injury risk biofeedback
Emily Matijevich, Nashville, TN (US); Leon Scott, Nashville, TN (US); and Karl Zelik, Nashville, TN (US)
Assigned to VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, Nashville, TN (US)
Appl. No. 17/051,218
Filed by VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, Nashville, TN (US)
PCT Filed Apr. 30, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/029790
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 28, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/213012, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 7, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/664,479, filed on Apr. 30, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0236020 A1, Aug. 5, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 5/11 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/296 (2021.01)
CPC A61B 5/11 (2013.01) [A61B 5/296 (2021.01); A61B 5/4509 (2013.01); A61B 5/4538 (2013.01); A61B 5/4806 (2013.01); A61B 5/6801 (2013.01); A61B 5/6898 (2013.01); A61B 5/7405 (2013.01); A61B 5/7435 (2013.01); A61B 5/7455 (2013.01); A61B 5/746 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0219 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0247 (2013.01)] 42 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wearable device configured to be operably worn by a user for monitoring musculoskeletal loading on a body structure of the user, comprising:
a plurality of sensors, each sensor configured to be operably worn by the user at a predetermined location and configured to detect information about biomechanical activity; and
a processing unit in communication with the plurality of sensors and configured to process the detected information by the plurality of sensors to estimate the musculoskeletal loading including contributions of an external force and an internal force on the body structure of the user, and communicate the estimated musculoskeletal loading to the user and/or a party of interest,
wherein the plurality of sensors comprises one or more force sensors configured to be located under a foot of the user, and one or more motion sensors configured to be located on a body segment of the user;
wherein the external force is a reaction force from the interaction between the user and an environment, estimated from the data derived by the one or more force sensors; and
wherein the internal force is a force from muscles that pull against the body structure of the user, estimated by combining data derived from the one or more force sensors with data derived from the one or more motion sensors.