Method and system for designing a biomechanical interface contacting a biological body segment

A system for designing and manufacturing a biomechanical interface of a wearable device interfacing an external surface of a biological body segment of a subject, the system comprising:

• a computer comprising:
• a modeler that generates a quantitative model of the biological body segment from subject-specific data, the subject-specific data including geometry of the biological body segment;
• an analyzer that conducts a biophysical analysis using the quantitative model of the biological body segment, the biophysical analysis including simulation of a response to a donning condition, the simulation including:
• forming a single combined model using a finite element analysis FEA) representation of the quantitative model of the biological body segment and an interface design, wherein the interface design is derived from and meshed with the quantitative model, in order to simulate interaction between the quantitative model of the biological body segment and the interface design, the combined model comprising shared nodes, each of the shared nodes representing a portion of both the biological body segment model and the interface design such that the biological body segment model and the interface design are always tied together,
• morphing the combined model in response to a fitting pressure, the morphing including adjusting an equilibrium shape of the interface design,
• assigning mechanical properties of the interface design to the morphed combined model, the assigning mechanical properties being generation dependent in the following way:
• c
• =
• {
• c
• soft
• 1000
• γ
• =
• 1
• c
• true
• γ
• =
• 2
• wherein γ is a generation index, csoft denotes the c parameter for soft tissue, and ctrue denotes a physically realistic c parameter, and
• decreasing the fitting pressure applied to the morphed combined model, the combined model responsively undergoing a relaxation phase, wherein following the relaxation phase, both the quantitative model of the biological body segment and the interface design components of the combined model are in a pre-stressed state to simulate the response to the donning condition, and
• an exporter that exports a final interface design for manufacture by a computer-controlled fabricator, the final interface design based on the morphed combined model.