A Smart Spinal Orthopedic Bed for General Purpose Rehabilitation

Critical spinal cord injuries and paralyzation are amongst the leading medical concerns. Lack of movement associated with post-operative phases and paralization complicates the lives of patients from one side, and subject the nurses and families to an excessive load from the other side. Despite the presence of Stryker and one function orthopedic beds for rehabilitation purposes, they were either expensive or non-automated. Thereby, it was not prevailing to see these beds in hospitals and/or houses as assistive tools. The aim of our innovative and exploratory study is to design a smart orthopedic bed for patients, starting with children, in order to facilitate their movement while maintaining their posture. Rotation was considered laterally from one side to another while maintaining their body fixed. The smart bed was automatically controlled by sound recognition, and manually controlled through a touchscreen for safety. Simulation results showed the best fit and architecture of the building up parts of the smart bed. Experimental results revealed the compact design, the touchscreen with its facilities, and various immobility functions to provide feasibility while performing daily activities. The feasibility of triggering the smart system reduced the time deducted from nurses and family members. Statistical Evaluation showed that the smart design was 95% efficient in performing the movement as opposed to the Stryker (55%) and one function orthopedic beds (45%). The net cost of the system was low ($775) as opposed to alternatives ($1000-1300). The time of rotation of the smart bed was in seconds. As a future prospect more complicated movements could be considered to provide specific types of rehabilitation for the spinal cord.