Towards the development of active compression bandages using dielectric elastomer actuators

Abstract

Disorders associated with the lower extremity venous system are common and significantly affect the quality of life of a large number of individuals. These disorders include orthostatic hypotension, oedema, deep vein thrombosis and a number of other conditions related to insufficient venous blood return. The common recommended treatment for these disorders is the use of hosiery compression stockings. In this research, an active compression bandage (ACB) based on the technology of dielectric elastomeric actuators (DEA) was designed, prototyped and tested. A customized calf prototype (CP) was developed to measure the pressure applied by the ACB. Experimental results performed with the CP showed that the pressure applied by the ACB could be electrically controlled to be either below or above the pressure exerted by commercially available compression stockings. An analytical model was used to provide the design criteria. A finite element model (FEM) was also developed to simulate the electromechanical behaviour of the DEA. Comparison of the experimental results with the FEM and analytical models showed that the modelling could accurately predict the behaviour of the ACB. The FEM was subsequently used to study how to improve the ACB performance by varying geometrical parameters such as the ACB thickness.

Active Compression Bandage Made of Electroactive Elastomers

“…The second evidence is that by adopting the multilayer design reported above and different constitutive materials, it was possible to achieve a higher contact pressure drop as compared to previous studies. Indeed, the best performing active bandage prototype reported in [10] allowed for achieving an initial contact pressure of 2.87 kPa and a drop to 2.73 kPa, corresponding to a 5.2% decrease, for a voltage of 11.3 kV; in comparison, the active bandage prototypes presented here allowed for contact pressures ranging from 6.57 kPa to 6.78 kPa and, respectively, pressure drops from 8.2% to 10.2%, for a voltage of 8.5 kV.…”

“…As mentioned above, prior to this work other investigators have reported on the use of DE actuators to develop active bandages [10], [11]. The peculiarities of the approach described here are: 1) two active layers were stacked together to increase the strength of the system; 2) the active layers were made of an acrylic elastomer film showing one of the highest electromechanical transduction performance, in terms of maximum achievable strains and stresses; 3) stiffening sticks were used to maximise actuation along the radial direction; 4) two thick and soft passive layers were used as interfaces with suitable properties in terms of mechanical compliance and electrical safety.…”

“…An alternative solution to address these issues comes from the use of Dielectric Elastomer (DE) actuators, which were proven to be effective for interacting with soft bodies [9]. In particular, their use for electro-mechanically active bandages was recently proposed [10], [11]. The device was conceived as a stretchable bandage consisting of a single layer of a silicone elastomer with compliant electrodes on both sides.…”

Dielectric Elastomer Actuator for Soft Robotics Applications and Challenges

“…Also, the wearable interface should not interfere with the wearer's movement, while maintaining comfort. Thus, there are many advantages for using DEAs for wearable interfaces, such as their small size, flexibility, softness, and customizability [119][120][121][122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131].…”

“…An active compression bandage using DEAs was suggested. It can be taken on and off easily, fits different calf sizes, and is provided in small size modules [128]. Also, the compression magnitude of the bandage can be modulated by changing the initial pre-stretch ratio or working voltage.…”