March 5, 2007
TenXsys Inc. Receives Major Contract for Project with Boise State
University to Develop and Test Sensors to Help Rehabilitate Amputees
TenXsys Inc. has received a major new contract from the U.S. Department of
Defense for a project with Boise State University to develop and test new
technologies to help military personnel who have lost limbs to effectively use
prosthetics.
TenXsys was awarded $749,000 for the second phase of a project to develop small
sensors that could be used as part of rehabilitation efforts for amputees, said
Layne Simmons, chief operating officer of TenXsys. The Eagle-based company will
team with researchers in Boise State’s Center for Orthopaedic and Biomechanics
Research (COBR) in the College of Engineering to test the sensors.
More than 500 U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq have suffered major amputations as a
result of roadside bomb explosions or other military actions, according to
recent news reports. The project supports DOD efforts to rehabilitate amputees
and even allow soldiers with prosthetics to return to active duty if they’re
both willing and capable.
“We’re very pleased that after receiving $100,000 in start-up funding last year,
we now have an opportunity to build prototypes of sensors that could be of great
benefit to those who are learning to use an artificial arm or leg,” Simmons
said. “Our partnership with Boise State has been a key reason we were successful
in receiving this major contract.”
TenXsys has developed sensors that can be worn on the body to measure movement
pattern and energy use. Known as SMART, or Sensor Monitoring and Relay
Transmission, the sensors transfer information by radio telemetry to a nearby
computer for interpretation. By providing instant feedback about subtle balance
problems or fatigue, the sensors could speed the rehabilitation of amputees. The
technology also has many other potential applications, including training
athletes and monitoring patients in a wide range of conditions.
Boise State researchers affiliated with the Center for Orthopaedic and
Biomechanics Research will use state-of-the-art animation technology to validate
that the TenXsys sensors are functioning effectively, and will also help design
software that will interpret and present the sensor data.
When necessary approvals are in place later this year, Boise State researchers
will test the sensor prototypes on amputees who have volunteered to be part of
the study, said Michelle Sabick, an assistant professor in the Department of
Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at Boise State and co-director of COBR.
“Our students are gaining great hands-on experience, including the opportunity
to run tests, interpret data and witness the product development process,”
Sabick said. “Partnerships such as this one will help prepare them for future
jobs in industry.”
Seth Kuhlman, a Boise State graduate student in mechanical engineering, said he
has enjoyed the challenges of testing the TenXsys sensors during the project’s
first phase and is looking forward to working with the company as it moves
forward to develop prototypes.
“A lot of times, you don’t see projects go from an initial phase to actually
being developed,” Kuhlman said. “It’s nice to come in on the ground floor and
then see it through to an actual product.”
Demand is high for new technologies to help the growing number of soldiers who
have lost limbs as result of combat injuries, according to Simmons.
“There is a sense of urgency associated with this project that makes us want to
really want to work as quickly as possible,” said Simmons, who recently met with
medical personnel at the newly opened Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio,
Texas. The new hospital has a large Amputee Care Center. “The TenXsys system has
the potential to have a significant positive impact on those who are learning to
use prosthetics,” she said.
TenXsys is a privately held corporation headquartered in Eagle. It produces a
wide range of radio telemetry-based products and services. More information is
at www.tenxsys.com.
The Center for Orthopaedic and Biomechanics Research is a collaborative effort
between the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering and the
Department of Kinesiology at Boise State, along with local clinicians with an
interest in performing and supporting biomechanics research. The center’s
investigators perform a wide variety of research projects and educational
programs supporting the center’s mission. More information is at
http://coen.boisestate.edu/cobr/.
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Contact: Michelle Sabick, Department of Mechanical Engineering, (208)
426-5653, msabick@boisestate.edu or
Layne Simmons, TenXsys Inc. (208) 938-8110,
layne@tenxsys.com
Media Contact: Janelle Brown, University Communications, (208) 426-1790,
jbrown2@boisestate.edu
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