Advanced medical monitoring: 3D printed prosthetics with integrated strain sensor

Additive manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized the production of intricate 3D designs, emphasizing sustainable and customized solutions. The prevailing trend prioritizes sustainable devices that optimize the use of raw materials. Among such innovations, the additive manufacturing of prostheses incorporating strain sensors using NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) stands out, particularly in hip prostheses. SMAs, renowned for their superelasticity, showcase a consistent relationship between deformation and electrical resistivity. This unique property allows precise movement assessment throughout the lifecycle of a prosthesis. Our research highlights the significance of integrating strain sensors in the AM process of prostheses. While the assembly and testing of the prosthesis and sensor coupling were prototypical and necessitated further development for practical application tests, there is evidence indicating that the device holds significant potential for monitoring the lifespan of the prosthesis and predicting undesired failures in advance. Hence, the correlation between amplitude variation and electrical resistivity in the NiTi wire is emphasized, indicating its potential as a strain gauge for detecting dislocation in prosthetic implants. Moreover, it underscores the necessity for supplementary analysis, with a specific focus on investigating the high-cycle fatigue behavior, to acquire comprehensive insights into the NiTi wire performance as a sensor over extended periods of use.