3D Printing Stimulating Hybrid Smart Bandage

The treatment of chronic wounds and pressure sores is an important challenge in the context of public health and the effectiveness of patient treatment. Therefore, new methods are being developed to reduce or, in extreme cases, to initiate and conduct the wound healing process. The article presents an innovative smart bandage, programmable using a smartphone, which generates small amplitude impulse vibrations. The communication between the smart bandage and the smartphone is realized using BLE. The possibility of programming the smart bandage allows for personalized therapy. Owing to the built-in MEMS sensor, the smart bandage makes it possible to monitor work during rehabilitation and implement an auto-calibration procedure. The flexible, azure mechanical structure of the dressing was made in 3D printing technology, thanks to which the solution is easy to implement and can be used together with traditional dressings to create hybrid ones. Miniature electronic circuits and actuators controlled by the PWM signal were designed as replaceable elements, thus the azure structure can be treated as single-use. The smart bandage containing 6 actuators presented in the article generates oscillations in the range from about 40 Hz to 190 Hz. The actuators were operated with the voltage of 1.65 V to reduce energy consumption. For comparison, the actuators were also operated with the nominal voltage of 3.17 V, as specified by the manufacturer.