Major and Classification
Biomedical Engineering
Faculty Mentor
- Gerald Loeb, M.D.
Department
- Biomedical Engineering
McNair Project
“Coil Design and Development for Ulcer Prevention”
Bionic Neurons (BIONs) are electrical stimulators, which stimulate muscles that have decreased functionality. The pattern of stimulation and the power required to stimulate the muscle is sent via and RF coil located outside the body. The purpose of this study is to develop a new type of coil, used in a wheelchair application. Before patients undergo surgery they are normally sitting in a wheelchair and thus some of their muscles undergo muscle atrophy, which can develop into ulcers. By creating a coil to power the BION, this muscle atrophy can be prevented. This study will test 11 coil designs to determine which gives the BION the greatest operational range. The data acquired from each test will be graphed using MATLAB and compared with the other 10 graphs. Using the analyzed data, the creation of a wheelchair coil with a great enough range to power the BION efficiently will begin.