Two groups of patented devices for carpal tunnel syndrome rehabilitation: comparative study between traditional and additive manufacturing

Abstract

This chapter presents a comparative study of two rehabilitation devices groups for people with carpal tunnel syndrome that were registered in different intel lectual property offices. The objective was to compare the rehabilitation devices produced using traditional technology and 3D additive manufacturing, to show the advantages and disadvantages of both production processes. The methodology used in this research was structured into three stages. In the first stage, a systematic techno logical research of existing patents was developed using the search engines PatBase and Google Patent. The second stage describes the main characteristics and function ality of these devices. The last stage consisted of developing a comparative matrix of the properties and characteristics considered to define the relevance of each device. As a result, nine rehabilitation devices were selected describing and comparing their main characteristics. This research can serve as a reference for future studies related to carpal tunnel syndrome.