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Collar I.D.

c_spine_1

 

Member profile details

Membership level
2011-2012 Team
Project Thumbnail Image
Team Name
Collar I.D.
Project Title
c_spine_1
Design Challenge
For spinal cord injuries (SCI) sustained during military combat, the first medical responder immobilizes the patient’s cervical spine with a rigid collar. Several recent studies have shown the current collar design to exacerbate SCIs. Team Collar I.D. is working to design a new collar that can be quickly fitted in the field of combat and will properly immobilize military SCI patients.
Design Summary
Collar ID’s M-Collar device is a combined rigid and inflatable device that is compactable to fit in any combat medic’s bag and rugged enough to withstand extreme battle conditions. The collar can be unfolded and applied in under 20 seconds by minimally trained users, saving much needed time on the battlefield for combat medics and soldiers to extricate the injured patient quickly. The collar provides increased stability to the head, neck, and upper back to better immobilize the injured cervical spine compared with traditional cervical orthoses. Our design therefore prevents and minimizing secondary injuries associated with spine trauma. M-Collar features a novel inflatable component that is packed around the surface of the rigid collar with a valve to which a CO2 cartridge twists into to inflate. Collar I.D.’s greatest design challenge was the successful implementation of an inflatable piece that conforms to the shape of the head at the desired pressure and providing stability to forward flexion of the neck. Our team has completed final prototypes of the M-Collar and have validated its increased efficacy over traditional collars.
Sponsors
Jim Davis and Janice Bucholtz, PMW Manufacturing
Department(s)
  • Bioengineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
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Faculty Advisor 1 - Name
Matthew Wettergreen
 

Team Members

Award(s) and Recognition
3rd Annual Rice Alliance Undergraduate Elevator Pitch Competition Winner: Research and Innovation-Laboratory, NASA & Military
Winner

Contact us

Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen
Rice University

6100 Main Street MS 390 | Houston, Texas | 77005

Phone: 713.348.OEDK

Email: oedk@rice.edu

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