Wrist Compression by Electronic Controller

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a compression neuropathy in the wrist and commonly treated by surgical release of the transverse carpal ligament. The goal of the project is to design a hand device to apply force to the carpal tunnel using a balloon to provide the pressure application. The device should consist of a shell that encloses the hand and has a slot for the thumb to be secured in; two rubber bladders, one on each side of the wrist, attached to the shell that apply pressure to the proper locations on the wrist; and a controller box with an LED display for the user to interface to the unit. The shell should be a thin, rigid device made of a hard plastic or other suitable material that will contain the hand of the user and provide separate support for the thumb. The bladders are a rubber balloon that will be attached to the shell and connected to the controller via flexible tubing. The pressurization of the bladders will provide the prescribed pressure to both sides of the wrist. The controller will consist of a microcontroller; an LED display to allow the user to interface to the system; a pump that will pressurize the bladders; and a rechargeable battery to power the system. The system will be operated via the LED Display to initiate the treatment sequence which will automatically apply a pressurization of the bladders for a set period of time, then a release of pressure for a separate period of time in a cyclical manner. The amount of force applied to the wrist can be accurately controlled by the amount of pressure in the bladder. The time intervals can be altered by inputs to the microcontroller. The device will use rechargeable batteries for the powering of the operation allowing the unit to be portable.

**This sponsor will not be at Open House. If you would like to interview for this project, please schedule a time here - https://tinyurl.com/DrLi23OpenHouse**