Prosthetic Design using Openmodelica, Open Cascade, Opensimulator (Opensim), Rigs of Rods, or Febio Open-Source Software

Recently, I posted "Low Cost - PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS - Design Resources - Open Source"

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Related to that, here is some commonly used open-source software used in designing Prosthetics:

• "OPENMODELICA is an open-source Modelica-based modeling and simulation environment intended for industrial and academic usage. Its long-term development is supported by a non-profit organization – the Open Source Modelica Consortium (OSMC)." - User's Guides & Tutorials

• "Open CASCADE Technology, 3D modeling & numerical simulation - Open CASCADE Technology is a software development platform freely available in open source. It includes C++ components for 3D surface and solid modeling, visualization, data exchange and rapid application development." - Tutorial and User's Guides

• "OpenSimulator is an open source multi-platform, multi-user 3D application server. It can be used to create a virtual environment (or world) which can be accessed through a variety of clients, on multiple protocols. It also has an optional facility (the Hypergrid) to allow users to visit other OpenSimulator installations across the web (aka Metaverse) from their 'home' OpenSimulator installation." - User's Guides, Tutorials, etc.

• "Rigs of Rods is an open source vehicle simulator based on soft-body physics - .....unique soft-body physics: vehicles, machines, objects, etc. are simulated in real-time as flexible soft-body objects, giving the simulation an extremely accurate behavior which entirely depends on the physical construction of the vehicles or objects you create." - Tutorials

• "The FEBio software suite is a set of software tools for nonlinear finite element analysis in biomechanics and biophysics.....specifically focused on solving nonlinear large deformation problems in biosolid mechanics...." - Examples and Tutorials

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Specifically for Prosthetic Design using the above tools:

• Running with prosthesis OpenSim - YouTube
• Normal Human Gait vs Human gait with prosthesis OpenSim ...
• OpenSim human leg prosthesis - YouTube
• Transtibial prosthesis in OpenSim - YouTube
• Biomechanical simulations with OpenSim in cycling?
• OpenSim Videos
• "Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 18: NextMed", by James D. Westwood, S. W. Westwood, 

  IOS Press, 2011 - See around page 157.
• Videos demonstrating research applications of OpenSim from users around the world.

Search string - (prosthetic OR prosthesis OR artificial-limbs OR orthotics) (openmodelica OR "open cascade" OR  opensimulator OR opensim OR "rigs of rods" OR febio)

Good luck in your work! Please let me know if you need more information or ideas on how to use this information.

Using Biofeedback with Art Therapy, especially with those with PTSD

Could Art Therapy be enhanced by using Biofeedback?  Could Biofeedback quantify the effectiveness of Art Therapy?  Could Biofeedback help hone in on the most helpful method of Art Therapy?

These were questions I asked at a recent Symposium on Art Therapy.  At least one person thought Biofeedback might help with Art Therapy.  Therefore, I thought I'd write this article to stimulate discussion and innovation in this area.

Art Therapy has proven to be a very helpful adjunct to psychotherapy, especially when cognitive approaches have been unsuccessful.  Biofeedback combined with psychotherapy could be viewed as a form of Polygraphy, revealing the inner emotions of the patient.

Biofeedback might provide relief from those suffering from PTSD, according to an article from PubMed.  In addition, Art Therapy could be helpful those with PTSD, according to another article from PubMed.  Therefore, it makes sense to me to combine Biofeedback with Art Therapy, especially for those with PTSD.  I'm not a health care professional, in any sense, but I thought I'd at least propose this new concept to the public in this article.

Some ideas on how Biofeedback could be helpful are listed below.

• Emotional triggers (stressors) could be identified for those with PTSD, Autism, Epilepsy, etc.
• A patient's stressor profile could be determined.
• Using Art, Music, Sculpture, etc. a patient could learn how to deal with difficult emotions, thoughts, etc., using standard Biofeedback Therapy techniques.
• The Art Therapist could have a visual readout of the emotional state of the patient, thereby regulating the amount of trigger stimulation.
• The emotional state of non-communicative patients could be determined.
• The therapist could determine if the patient is "playing her", giving the "expected response or reply".

I couldn't find much previous work in this area.  Perhaps the following might give others clues, however, on how this concept might be implemented.  I used this search string - ("art therapy" (biofeedback OR polygraphy OR lie-detector))

• "Medical Art Therapy with Children", by Cathy A. Malchiodi, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1999 - Page 201
• "Confirming the Efficacy of Art Therapy with College Students Through Biofeedback", by Shubha Chatterjee, Emporia State University, 2010
• "Music Therapy & Biofeedback" by Eric B.Miller Ph.D. CMT-BC BCIAC

Some Biofeedback Tools available to the public:

• Mindplace Thoughtstream USB Personal Biofeedback
• GSR2 Home Biofeedback Unit
• CalmLink Biofeedback Software

Takeaways - 

• Art Therapy can be helpful to those with PTSD and other emotional disorders.
• Biofeedback can also be helpful to those with PTSD and other emotional disorders.
• Perhaps, Biofeedback could be combined with Art Therapy, to especially help those with PTSD and other emotional disorders.

Disclaimer - Article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. 

Low Cost - PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS - Design Resources - Open Source

·       The Open Prosthetics Project is producing useful innovations in the field of prosthetics and freely sharing the designs.

·       3D Printing Low-Cost Prosthetics Parts in Uganda

·       PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS IMPACT ASSESSMENT - EAST AFRICA: Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda

·       The Digital Resource Foundation for the O&P Community (DRFOP) is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop computer-based information resources and communication links for the worldwide orthotics, prosthetics and rehabilitation community – Kampala Uganda location

·       The aim of the Open Hand Project is to make robotic prosthetic hands more accessible to amputees.  Leading prosthetics can cost up to $100,000. By using emerging technologies like 3D printing, we can cut that down to under $1000. That’s two orders of magnitude cheaper, and means that these devices can reach a far broader audience!

·       Open Prosthetics Project - Homebrew Prosthetics

·       Search string - (prosthetic OR prosthesis OR artificial-limbs OR orthotics)