Industrial - Bachelors

Smartbrace

‘smartbrace’ connects a combination of heat-regulating innovative materials and responsive neuromuscular electronic stimulation pads to an extensive, digital platform of injury prevention programmes and exercises, aiming to minimise the risk of athletes sustaining severe knee injuries during elite sport.

Zachary McArdle

the research

The Problem

There is perhaps nothing more impactful in the lives of elite athletes than sustaining a knee injury. Unfortunately, there is also perhaps no injury as common – with 50% of all sports-related injuries being to the knee. Of that statistic, 64% are anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) related – making it one of the most common injuries sustained in sports traumatology (Kelechi R. Okoroha, 2020). This high-frequency rate is heavily influenced by the injury’s susceptibility to being sustained through non-contact incidents when the person themselves generates great forces at the knee that apply excessive loading on the ligament. As such, the research behind the ‘smart brace’ centred around the preventability of these injuries.

the solution

The interesting thing about non-contact ACL injuries is that, despite being the most common incidents, they are also the most preventable. Indeed, current injury prevention theory outlines the potential for the injury risk factors to be studied, analysed and modified. This can be done through an abundance of existing, effective injury prevention programmes and tactics, most of which target the training of certain high-risk biomechanical movements (the primary cause of non-contact ACL tears and ruptures). Additionally, the research highlighted that the effectiveness of these tactics can be further enhanced when undertaken in conjunction with the use of prophylactic, functional and hinged knee braces. This, led to the creation of the smart brace – the combination of these prevention tactics.

the development

the product

THE PURPOSE OF NMES

The inclusion of flexible and responsive neuromuscular electronic stimulation (NMES) pads in the smartbrace creates a knee brace experience like no other. Its function plays a key role in the braces mission to mitigate the risk of its users sustaining a serious knee injury, through three core benefits. The benefits are as follows: 1) strength and performance benefits – NMES allows for the recruitment of a larger portion of type 2 muscle fibres, enhancing force production in the quadriceps. 2) natural pain relief – NMES use stimulates sensory nerves to temporarily relieve pain and release endorphins, ridding metabolic waste and reducing soreness. Finally, NMES function induces enhanced ligament health and recovery, contracting muscles to increase blood flow and vascular endothelial function – delivering oxygenated, nutrient rich blood to the ACL and surrounding ligaments.

how it works

The NMES pads used in the smartbrace are far from your typical neuromuscular stimulation products. They have been designed in a compact, flexible form so that they mould around the users leg, ensuring no discomfort during use. Charged using a double-headed USB-C cord, the pads do not need to be connected to a secondary power source during use (like typical NMES machines), allowing the user to utilise the benefits of muscle stimulation during physical activity (producing optimal efficiency of the function). Once turned on using the central power button (indicated by the smartbrace logo), an electrical current is sent to the underside of the pads, triggering muscle contractions in the quadriceps and/ or tibia – the intensity of these contractions can be manually controlled via the braces tangible buttons or digitally controlled via the smartbrace app.

SMARTBRACE APP

Working in conjunction with the physical benefits of the smartbrace itself, the application connects users to a world of injury prevention via an extensive digital platform. Not only can users have complete control over the intensity levels of their braces NMES pads – including pre-installed warm-up settings (vital in ensuring an athlete’s muscles are prepared for activity) – but they can also follow a variety of sport-specific injury prevention programmes that give in-depth instructions on how to complete exercises in the most efficient ways possible. Additionally, the application utilises its connection to the brace (via the NMES pads) to track user history, aiming for its use to become habitual.

PACKAGING

The physical packaging of the smartbrace consists of a sleek, minimally designed cardboard box with a magnetic lid. Its purpose is to house the brace itself (in its flattened form), a custom double-corded USB-C cord (for the NMES pads), extra rotational hinges and a set of physical injury prevention programmes (for those who do not wish to download the smartbrace app). These injury prevention programmes contain an array of sport-specific injury prevention tactics and exercises that aim to optimize the benefits of the smartbrace in its mission to mitigate the risk of knee injuries.

Zachary McArdle

Influenced by characteristics of minimalistic design, Zac finds passion in innovating products that marry form and function. His work constantly strives to combine thoughtfully crafted aesthetics with meticulously designed functional elements in the hopes of creating meaningful user experiences.