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We enhance prosthetics for people with limb loss through ground breaking research. Our philosophy is to be at the cutting edge of the interface between technology and clinical care. Though an academic research lab, we have a corporate culture of advancing quickly in our research and being highly productive in terms of immediately benefiting clinical care. Our research is centered around the improvement of care for transtibial amputees and designed to be immediately relevant to clinical practice. Our strong partnerships with prosthetists across the country ensures that we remain focused on the most pressing issues facing amputees. As a research lab within the University of Washington, education is at the core of what we do. The students and research engineers in our lab have diverse backgrounds, allowing students to gain a set of broadly applicable skills, while obtaining expertise in our core areas of research.

Current Research

Adjustable Sockets

Sock Thickness and Use

Diagnostic Tool

Field Monitoring

Optimizing Liner Selection

Tissue Health

One of the biggest issues impacting limb health in transtibial amputees is the variability of fluid volume in their residual limb thoughout the course of the day. We are developing a socket whose volume can be adjusted, via a smartphone app, to ensure a proper fit. Prosethesis users frequently use socks, measured in "ply", to adjust the fit of their socket. Unfortunately, ply is not a well defined and so users cannot be sure how much they are adjusting their sockets. The problem is exacerbated when the sock is stretched over their limb. The CSG is means to measure the thickness of these socks while the user is wearing them. Bioimpedance has long been used to measure overall body composition. We are applying this technology to measure the fluid volume of amputees' residual limbs before and after their prosthetist does a modification on their socket. The goal is to help clinicians produce better outcomes and more quickly home in on the most beneficial modification. Determining the utility of new prosthetic practices and devices is a critical testing component. Initial tests conducted in a lab setting are useful, but they do not replace data collected from patients as they go about their daily routines. This work is intended to design tools to quantify changes in prosthetic fit and usage. Prosthetic liners are made out of a variety of polymers and even within liners from the same class of polymer there is substantial variation in material properties. Unfortunately, there has been no systematic survey done of these materials and clinicians have had to rely on anecdotal evidence for liner selection. We are creating a database of liner properties so that clinicians will have better information upon which to recommend liners to their patients. Prosthesis users can suffer skin damage from socket overuse or poorly fitting sockets. Skin can also adapt to become more resistant to mechanically-induced damage. Our goal in this research is to better understand the processes of skin breakdown and adaptation and to create tools to help clinicians better evaluate tissue health.

Previous Research

Advancing Computer Manufactured Sockets

Residual Limb Volume Fluctuation and
Accommodation

Sock Thickness & Sock Use

Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Interface Pressure and Shear Stress Measurement

Advancing Industry
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About our Team

Our team is comprised of talented engineers and a research clinician working together in a highly collaborative environment. We explore new territories in prosthetics with the ultimate goal to improve the quality of life for individuals with lower limb amputations. The people on our team are creative and effective communicators.

An exciting aspect of our work is that we are given the opportunity to interact directly with our wonderful study volunteers, most of which are lower limb amputees. This gives us the chance to witness our research technology in action firsthand and to provide us with near-immediate design feedback.

Come join our team and join us as we work to invent new prosthetic technologies to improve clinical care for lower limb prosthesis users.

Graduate Student Positions

We are currently looking for graduate students for the upcoming school year. Over the course of their studies, graduate students are expected to define and manage their own original research project while also playing a role in other projects within the lab.

Graduate students are expected to be self-motivated, intellectually curious, and have a desire and propensity to learn new skills and learn about new concepts. Students should possess strong leadership qualities, good communication skills, and a positive attitude. Prior research experience is recommended.

We welcome students who are applying to the Bioengineering or Mechanical Engineering graduate programs at UW.

Interested students should email us at jsanders@uw.edu well before the graduate school application submission deadline, including a CV and a brief explanation of their interest in our lab.

Research Staff Positions

We are currently recruiting for the position(s) below. To apply for these positions, or to learn more about them, use the UW hiring website. Go to UW Hires, click “UW Jobs” and search Keywords: “Sanders”. Open positions in our lab will be listed in Department: "Bioengineering" and will be listed under the Job Titles matching those described here.

PRESENTATION SPECIALIST

RESEARCH ENGINEER

Our Prosthetic and Orthotic Engineering research and design team seeks an analysis engineer eager to make a positive difference in the lives of people with lower-limb loss or injury.

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Current Research

Previous Research

Advancing Industry

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