One embodiment of a disclosed wearable device includes a pliable wrap with a plurality of fluid chambers stitched together to structure the wrap to conform to a shape of a joint of the user. An array of tension sensors are embedded into the wrap across one or more horizontal axes and one or more vertical axes of the wrap. Each tension sensor in the array detects forces exerted by the joint covered by the wrap and is connected with at least one adjacent tension sensor by a conductive thread. The wrap is further embedded with a controller, which receives signals representing movements detected by tension sensors of the array and generates a signal to activate the electroactive gel in one or more fluid chambers based on an analysis of the received signals.

A textile suitable for detecting movement and/or deformation comprises an electrically conductive fabric (8) which can expand in at least two directions, electrodes (12) arranged substantially regularly along the periphery of the fabric (8), a controller (14) designed to control the excitation of the electrodes (12) two by two according to a pattern such that all the electrodes (12) are successively excited, and to measure each time the voltage in the non-excited electrodes (12), and a computer (22) comprising a neural network inference engine and designed to receive the voltage measurements taken attire non-excited electrodes (12) in a given excitation cycle, in order to supply them to the neural network inference engine and to return a characteristic measurement of a movement having caused a deformation of the textile.

A joint image unfolding apparatus, a joint image unfolding method, and a non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a joint image unfolding program are provided to make it possible to check information regarding the entire cartilage in a joint with high accuracy. An image obtaining unit (21) obtains a three-dimensional image of a joint having cartilage. An unfolding unit (23) unfolds the cartilage included in the three-dimensional image with reference to a specific reference axis in the joint to generate an unfolded image.

Examples of a device for guiding and detecting a motion of a target joints and a motion assistance system such motion guiding devices are described. The motion guiding and detecting device comprises a motion generator and a motion transfer and target interfacing unit to transfer the motion generated by the motion generator to the target joint. The system further includes a motion detection and feedback unit that interfaces with the target, and a controller that interfaces with both the feedback unit and the motion generator to control and coordinate the motion of the motion generator and the target joint.

An implantable electronic device (12) and an endoprosthesis activity monitoring system (10) with a knee prosthesis (11) are developed. Knee prosthesis (11) has at least two blind cavities (35.1, 35.2), one in a lateral aspect of a femoral component (11.1) or tibial component (11.2), within which devices (12) are removably mounted and remote device (18) in wireless communication with devices (12) to receive data transmitted from it. Devices (12) are configured to track movement of the prosthesis (11) and to report same to the remote device (18). Devices (12) are self-contained and include an accelerometer (13), memory (15), a wireless communication module (14), processor (17) and a battery (16). Activity information analysed allows for early diagnosis of implant specific problems like loosening of the prosthesis. Location of devices (12) in the lateral aspects improves accessibility. Devices can be removed by minor surgery without compromising structural integrity of the knee prosthesis.

Disclosed herein is a joint evaluation device and corresponding systems and methods for evaluating ligaments and other soft tissue connections between, for example, a tibia and a femur at a knee joint. The joint evaluation device being arranged and configured to induce and measure forces while positions of the tibia and femur are monitored. Some embodiments use a computer assisted surgery device to track positions of the tibia and the femur, and may include a computing device configured to evaluate the forces measured between a first engagement portion and a second engagement portion of the joint evaluation device to output information related to the status of the ligament and other soft tissue connections prior to any bone resections being made to the tibia or the femur.

The present invention relates to a method for estimating the relative orientation between a tibia (11a) and a femur (11b) of a lower limb (10) of a person (1), the method being characterised in that it comprises the steps of: (a) During at least one reference movement of said lower limb (10) from a reference position, acquiring by first inertial measuring means (20a) integral with the tibia (11a) and by second inertial measuring means (20b) integral with the femur (11b) reference accelerations and angular velocities; (b) Estimating a plurality of morphological parameters of said lower limb (10), as a function of said measured reference accelerations and angular velocities; (c) Determining a relative orientation in said initial position between said tibia (11a) and femur (11b), as a function of said estimated morphological parameters of said lower limb (10); (d) During a working movement of said lower limb (10) from an initial position, acquiring by the first inertial measuring means (20a) and the second inertial measuring means (20b) working angular velocities; (e) Estimating the relative orientation between said tibia (11a) and femur (11b) as a function of said measured working angular velocities, and of said relative orientation in said initial position.

A gap balancing assembly includes an alignment plateau adapted to abut against an articular surface of a first bone, and at least one gap spacer portion adapted to space the articular surface from a second bone, the at least one gap spacer portion having a thickness profile. A spacer member has a first contact surface for being abutted against said tibial alignment plateau, and a second contact surface oriented and spaced relative to the first contact surface to correspond to the thickness profile of the at least one gap spacer portion, the second contact surface adapted to contact a cut guide to align same with the articular surface of the first bone.

A unified coil assembly for magnetic resonance imaging is disclosed. The coil assembly includes an RF coil element and a shim coil array with a shim coil element. The shim coil element is physically separated or partially separated from the RF coil element. The shim coil element includes a DC current loop having a DC power supply connection to allow DC current to generate a local BO magnetic field. The unified coil array assembly is configured to simultaneously provide an RF mode for at least one of transmit or receive and a direct current mode to generate a local BO magnetic field for BO shimming. Larger number of shim coils relative to the RF coil element provides superior shimming performance. The mutual inductance between the shim coil element and the RF coil element is minimized by proposed geometrical decoupling methods in order to minimize the RF interaction between the two.

Determining a composite score includes deriving, based on an image set that includes at least one three-dimensional image of the synovial joint, first and second information. The first information indicates cumulative damage to the synovial joint. The second information indicates either one or both joint pain and loss of function of the synovial joint. The resulting composite score provides an objective measure of joint damage or an extent of joint disease.