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Aim This study compares the precision, accuracy, and user experience of 3D body surface scanning of human subjects using the Artec Leo hand-held scanner and the iPad Pro as 3D scanning devices for capturing cervical and craniofacial data. The investigation includes assessing methods for correcting 'dropped head syndrome' during scanning, to demonstrate the ability of the scanner to be used to reconstruct body surface of patients. Methods Eighteen volunteers with no prior history of neck weakness were scanned three times in three different positions, using the two different devices. Surface area, scanning time, and participant comfort scores were evaluated for both devices. Precision and accuracy were assessed using Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), and Intra-Class Correlation Coefficients (ICC). Results Surface area comparisons revealed no significant differences between devices and positions. Scanning times showed no significant difference between devices or positions. Comfort scores varied across positions. MAD analysis identified chin to chest measurements as having the highest variance, especially in scanning position 3. However, no statistical differences were found. MAPE results confirmed accuracy below 5% error for both devices. ICC scores indicated good reliability for both measurement methods, particularly for chin to chest measurements in positions 1 and 3. Conclusion The iPad Pro using the Qlone app demonstrates a viable alternative to the Artec Leo, particularly for capturing head and neck surface area within a clinical setting. The scanning resolution, with an error margin within ±5%, is consistent with clinically accepted standards for orthosis design, where padding and final fit adjustments allow for bespoke devices that accommodate patient comfort. This study highlights the comparative performance of the iPad, as well as suggests two methods which can be used within clinics to correct head drop for scanning.

Objectives The primary aim of this systematic review was to evaluate whether intraoral scanning (IOS) is able to reduce working time and improve patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) compared to conventional impression (CI) techniques, taking into account the size of the scanned area. The secondary aim was to verify the effectiveness of IOS procedures based on available prosthodontic outcomes. Materials and methods Electronic and manual literature searches were performed to collect evidence concerning the outcomes of IOS and CI performed during the treatment of partially and complete edentulous patients for tooth- or implant-supported restorations. Qualitative analysis was conducted to evaluate the time efficiency and PROMs produced by the two different techniques. Clinical prosthodontic outcomes were analyzed among the included studies when available. Results Seventeen studies (9 randomized controlled trials and 8 prospective clinical studies) were selected for qualitative synthesis. The 17 included studies provided data from 430 IOS and 370 CI performed in 437 patients. A total of 7 different IOS systems and their various updated versions were used for digital impressions. The results demonstrated that IOS was overall faster than CI independent of whether quadrant or complete-arch scanning was utilized, regardless of the nature of the restoration (tooth or implant supported). IOS was generally preferred over CI regardless of the size of the scanned area and nature of the restoration (tooth- or implant-supported). Similar prosthodontic outcomes were reported for workflows implementing CI and IOS. Conclusions Within the limitations of this systematic review, IOS is faster than CI, independent of whether a quadrant or complete arch scan is conducted. IOS can improve the patient experience measured by overall preference and comfort and is able to provide reliable prosthodontic outcomes. Clinical relevance Reduced procedure working time associated with the use of IOS can improve clinical efficiency and the patient experience during impression procedures. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are an essential component of evidence-based dental practice as they allow the evaluation of therapeutic modalities from the perspective of the patient. IOS is generally preferred by patients over conventional impressions.

Material extrusion (MEX), particularly Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), is a widely used 3D printing technology, with growing interest in composite materials due to their broad range of applications. This study focuses on commercially available copper‐ and bronze‐filled polylactic‐acid (PLA) composites printed with FFF technology and on providing guidance for future practical applications, particularly in the biomedical field and 4D printing. In this research, static and dynamic mechanical tests, scanning electron microscopic imaging, and electric resistance measurements were conducted, and the thermal properties were determined by thermal conductivity measurements and differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis (DSC‐TGA). Cytotoxicity was assessed using an A549 cell viability assay. The results show that the material's brittleness increases in proportion to the volume percentage of metal particles; among the copper composites FormFutura MetalFil – Classic copper (29.14 vol.%) had the lower tensile strength (15.4 MPa ± 0.17 MPa), while for bronze composites, the tensile strength was lower for ColorFabb BronzeFill (33.64 vol.%, 17.7 MPa ± 0.54 MPa). Furthermore, these composites have no cytotoxic effect in short‐term contact, and their enhanced thermal conductivity over traditional prosthetic materials makes them promising candidates for the development of prostheses intended to mitigate thermal discomfort. This study uses four 3D‐printed polylactic acid composites filled with copper or bronze. Tests evaluate the material's thermal and mechanical properties and its toxicity. The results show the material becoming more brittle with increased metal percentage. These composite materials do not become toxic over brief contact, and their enhanced thermal conductivity makes them a promising option for prostheses.

Ankle-Foot Orthoses (AFO) can be prescribed to allow drop-foot patients to restore a quasi-normal gait pattern. Standard off-the-shelf AFOs are cost-effective solutions to treat most patients with foot and ankle weakness, but these devices have several limitations, especially in terms of comfort. Therefore, custom AFOs are increasingly adopted to address drop-foot when standard solutions are not adequate. While the solid ones are the most common type of AFO, providing full stability and strong resistance to ankle plantarflexion, passive dynamic AFOs (PD-AFOs) represent the ideal solution for patients with less severe ankle weakness. PD-AFOs have a flexible calf shell, which can bend during the stance phase of walking and absorb energy that can be released to support the limb in the push-off phase. The aim of this review is to assess the state-of-the-art and identify the current limitations of PD-AFOs. An extensive literature review was performed in Google Scholar to identify all studies on custom PD-AFOs. Only those papers reporting on custom PD-AFOs were included in the review. Non peer-reviewed papers, abstract shorter than three pages, lecture notes and thesis dissertations were excluded from the analysis. Particular attention was given to the customization principles and the mechanical and functional tests. For each topic, the main results from all relevant papers are reported and summarized herein. There were 75 papers that corresponded to the search criteria. These were grouped according to the following macro-topics: 16 focusing on scanning technologies and geometry acquisition; 14 on customization criteria; 19 on production techniques; 16 on mechanical testing, and 33 on functional testing. According to the present review, design and production of custom PD-AFOs are becoming increasingly feasible due to advancements in 3D scanning techniques and additive manufacturing. In general, custom PD-AFOs were shown to provide better comfort and improved spatio-temporal parameters with respect to standard solutions. However, no customization principle to adapt PD-AFO stiffness to the patient’s degree of ankle impairment or mechanical/functional demand has thus far been proposed.

In this study, protective clothing for firefighters is analyzed using 4D body scanning and 3D hand scanning, with a focus on the experimental analysis of ergonomic comfort. In particular, German firefighting clothing is examined to discuss the possibilities and limitations of current scanning technologies for capturing firefighting clothing. For this purpose, various movements are recorded in the 4D scanner. In addition, a method for determining position changes of protective clothing at identified limits is presented. The initial results illustrated that the analysis of protective clothing for firefighters using 4D scanning is problematic due to specific materials, reflections, and surface properties. Improvements in the scanning process and optimization of algorithms are required to achieve more detailed and precise results. Concerning the ergonomic comfort related to the mobility under firefighting clothing use conditions, this methodical case study highlights the limits of current approaches, with a focus on the limitations of 4D scanning and potential improvements.

In order to improve fit and comfort, a maxillary protraction facemask customized to the patient’s anatomy was produced by means of 3D face scanning, digital design and additive manufacturing. An 8-year-old patient in need of early treatment for the Class III malocclusion received a rapid palatal expander and a Petit-type facemask, whose components were digitally designed on a 3D scan of the patient’s face. For face scanning, the iPad Pro 2018 tablet (Apple, Cupertino, CA, USA) with the Bellus3D DentalPro application (Bellus3D, Campbell, CA, USA) was used. Facemask components were modelled with 3D Blender software. The rests were 3D printed in BioMed Clear biocompatible resin (Formlabs, Somerville, MA, USA), and the bar in stainless steel. For greater comfort, the internal surface of the rests was lined with a polymer gel pad (Silipos, Niagara Falls, NY, USA). The manufacturing procedure of the customized facemask is patented. The patient wore the facemask at night for a period of 9 months. The patient’s experience was evaluated with a questionnaire at 1 week, 3, 6, and 10 months of treatment. The customized facemask was well accepted by the patient and obtained the expected treatment outcome. Furthermore, 3D face scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing allow for the manufacturing of customized facemasks with improved fit and comfort, favoring patient compliance and treatment success.

In this study, protective clothing for firefighters is analyzed using 4D body scanning and 3D hand scanning, with a focus on the experimental analysis of ergonomic comfort. In particular, German firefighting clothing is examined to discuss the possibilities and limitations of current scanning technologies for capturing firefighting clothing. For this purpose, various movements are recorded in the 4D scanner. In addition, a method for determining position changes of protective clothing at identified limits is presented. The initial results illustrated that the analysis of protective clothing for firefighters using 4D scanning is problematic due to specific materials, reflections, and surface properties. Improvements in the scanning process and optimization of algorithms are required to achieve more detailed and precise results. Concerning the ergonomic comfort related to the mobility under firefighting clothing use conditions, this methodical case study highlights the limits of current approaches, with a focus on the limitations of 4D scanning and potential improvements.

A semi-active suspension system can effectively improve vehicle ride comfort and handling stability, and the active detection of road information is key to achieving semi-active suspension. To improve the road elevation perception ability of vehicles, this study proposes a continuous multiple scanning recursive matching algorithm based on a single-line LIDAR sensor. Radar recursive scanning is used to obtain the multiple superposition data of echo signals, and coordinate matching is realized between historical scanning data and current scanning data. Simultaneously, the sensor height deviation and pitch angle deviation of the sensors are regressed to obtain an accurate pavement elevation. Considering the control effect of the active vehicle suspension, a vehicle suspension model with seven degrees of freedom is established. The semi-active suspension controller is constructed using a diagonal recursive neural network algorithm, and the neural network weight is trained using a genetic algorithm. In addition, a preview diagonal recursive neural network control strategy for semi-active suspension, based on the combination of road elevation information, is proposed. The results of a hardware-in-the-loop co-simulation, which was conducted based on the Simulink control model and dSPACE real-time simulation, revealed that the ride comfort and stability of the vehicle were improved owing to a preview of the elevation information of the road ahead and the active adjustment of the shock absorber of the suspension system.

Comprehensive documentation is the foundation of effective conservation, repair and maintenance (CRM) practices for architectural heritage. In order to diagnose historic buildings and inform decision making, a combination of multi-disciplinary surveys is fundamental to understanding a building’s heritage and performance. Infrared thermography (IRT), a non-contact, non-invasive and non-destructive imaging technique, allows both qualitative and quantitative assessments of temperature to be undertaken. However, the inherent low spatial resolution of thermal imaging has led recent work to fuse thermographic and geometric data for the accurate 3D documentation of architectural heritage. This paper maps the scope of this emerging field to understand the application of IRT and 3D-data fusion (IRT-3DDF) for architectural heritage. A scoping review is undertaken to systematically map the current literature and determine research gaps and future trends. Results indicate that the increasing availability of thermal cameras and advances in photogrammetric software are enabling thermal models to be generated successfully for the diagnosis and holistic management of architectural heritage. In addition, it is evident that IRT-3DDF provides several opportunities for additional data integration, historic building information modelling (H-BIM) and temporal analysis of historic buildings. Future developments are needed to transform IRT-3DDF findings into actionable insights and to apply IRT-3DDF to pressing climate-related challenges, such as energy efficiency, retrofitting and thermal comfort assessments.

Thermal-Energy Storage (TES) properties of organic phase change materials have been experimentally investigated and reported in this paper. Three paraffin-based Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and one bio-based PCM are considered with melting temperatures of 24 °C, 25 °C and 26 °C. Sensible heat storage capacities, melting characteristics and latent heat enthalpies of the studied PCMs are investigated through Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) measurements. Two alternative methods, namely the classical dynamic DSC and a stepwise approach, are performed and compared with the aim to eliminate and/or overcome possible measurement errors. In particular, for DSC measurements this could be related to the size of the samples and its representativity, heating rate effects and low thermal conductivity of the PCMs, which may affect the results and possibly cause a loss of objectivity of the measurements. Based on results achieved from this study, clear information can be figured out on how to conduct and characterize paraffin and bio-based PCMs, and how to apply them in TES calculations for building applications and/or simulations. It is observed that both paraffinic and bio-based PCMs possess a comparable TES capacity within the selected phase transition temperature, being representative for the human thermal comfort zone. The phase change of bio-based PCMs occurred over a much narrower temperature range when compared to the wider windows characterizing the paraffin-based materials. Bio-based PCMs turned out to be very suitable for building applications and can be an environmentally friendly substitute for petroleum-based PCMs.