Design and development of an instrument to measure coordinates of spine curvature

Abstract

Human spine curvature data are required to detect spinal deformity/diagnose irregular spine curvature. The shape of the spine assisting for the flexibility and weight distribution of the body. Around the world, many countries have started collecting spine curvature data for more than five decades; however, India lacks in this field. Few countries have also developed various instruments to gather spine curvature data; on the other hand, they still seem inaccessible to Indian markets. A device which can collect the data is very much required as it has application in vast fields like product development on ergonomics principles. This study developed an instrument (simple and low cost) to measure coordinates of spine curvature. A wooden specimen (resembles human spine shape) was designed with various angles to validate the measurement accuracy of the developed instrument. The selected curves of the template were measured using three machines, including CMM machine, FARO arm machine, and developed device. T-Test confirms that there was no significant difference in the measured curvature data among instruments. The error percentage was 2.57 % (maximum).