The Internet of Things is a concept that calls for the network connectivity of everyday objects in order to collect and exchange data. For this product, the team developed a smart post-injury knee brace called emBRACE that collects the user's extension and flexion knee data and then sends it to a web application for review by the patient and his or her doctor. This prototype device was developed using an off the shelf regular knee brace obtained from a local pharmacy, two Wiced Senses, a custom Android mobile app, as well as back end support from Amazon Web Services.
To use the emBRACE, the two Wiced Senses are first synchronized to the mobile app using the Bluetooth Low Energy platform. They are then secured onto the knee brace which is worn by the user. The sensors collect accelerometer data from the knee's movement and then send that to Amazon Web Services via the mobile app, which acts as a gateway. Amazon Web Services pre-processes the data and classifies it using machine learning tools such as multiclass support vector machines. This processed data is then read and visualized using the custom web application.
To use the emBRACE, the two Wiced Senses are first synchronized to the mobile app using the Bluetooth Low Energy platform. They are then secured onto the knee brace which is worn by the user. The sensors collect accelerometer data from the knee's movement and then send that to Amazon Web Services via the mobile app, which acts as a gateway. Amazon Web Services pre-processes the data and classifies it using machine learning tools such as multiclass support vector machines. This processed data is then read and visualized using the custom web application.