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A SYSTEM TO MONITOR MANDIBULAR MOVEMENTS IN REAL TIME

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 4864
Amount: $425,000.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1988
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
2905 Wilderness Place Suite 201
Boulder, CO 80301
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Sean Curry
 Principal Investigator
 (303) 444-0094
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

A SYSTEM WILL BE DEVELOPED TO EFFICIENTLY AND ACCURATELY MONITOR MOVEMENTS OF THE HUMAN MANDIBLE. THE SYSTEM WILL CONSIST OF A PERSONAL COMPUTER (PC)-BASED DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS UNIT, A NONRESTRAINING EXTRA-ORAL HARNESS TO WHICH IS ATTACHED A SET OF LIGHT EMITTING DIODES (LEDS), ANDTWO SOLID-STATE DETECTORS TO TRACK THE LEDS IN SPACE. RIGOROUS PHOTOGRAMMETRIC SOFTWARE WILL BE DEVELOPED TO COMPUTE THE LED POSITIONS IN THREE DIMENSIONS AND TO COMPUTETHE ENVELOPES OF MOTION OF DESIRED POINTS ON THE MANDIBLE, INCLUDING THE CONDYLE CENTERS. WITH THREE LEDS MOUNTED ON THE MANDIBULAR PORTION OF THE HARNESS AND THREE MOUNTED ON THE CRANIAL PORTION, THE RELATIVE POSITION AND ORIENTATION OF THE MANDIBLE WITH RESPECT TO THE CRANIUM CAN BE DETERMINED AT RATES EXCEEDING 30 TIMES PER SECOND. THE SYSTEM WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RECENT ADVANCES IN SOLID-STATEDETECTOR TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE SUCH HIGH DATA RATES POSSIBLE ATMODERATE COST. IT WILL BE FREE OF THE CONSTRAINTS POSED BY OLDER MECHANICAL AND ELECTROMAGNETIC SYSTEMS. SUCH A SYSTEMWOULD FIND IMMEDIATE APPLICATION IN SEVERAL AREAS OF DENTAL PRACTICE. IT COULD BE USED TO MEASURE THE CHANGES IN PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER JAWS DURING THE PROCESSES OF SPEECH AND MASTICATION. BECAUSE A DETAILED MATHEMATICAL RECORD OF THE FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS WILL BE STORED, THE SYSTEM COULD BE USED TO DETERMINE FUNCTIONAL CHANGE AFTER DENTAL RESTORATION, TREATMENT OF TMJDISFUNCTION, ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY, OR ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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