Revolutionizing Recovery: Engineering a Cutting-Edge Smart Wearable Knee Brace

Lune Digital was contracted by OPUM Technologies to assist in the development of a wearable knee brace. This smart wearable device is helping people recover from knee injuries.

Collaborating with OPUM’s team of engineers, Lune was responsible for advancing the firmware from initial concept stage to product release.

WORK WITH US

Approach

Planning and Management

Careful planning and an agile development approach was essential to ensure that a MVP can be released in time and within the planned budget. We worked closely with the client, updating them on our progress weekly, and actively involving them in the decision making during development.

Firmware Development

The main challenge was to port the initial concept which was developed on one hardware platform, to the final device hardware and embedded platform, as quickly as possible. This was difficult to do in a short time due to differences in the architecture and APIs and also required additional libraries to be developed on the target platform.

Improvements and Fixes

While porting code from the initial concept, a number of bugs and issues were discovered and fixed. We also optimized resource usage, freeing up more RAM and Flash space to allow new functionality to be added to the firmware. During firmware development a number of hardware issues were also found, and we proposed solutions to the issues that were implemented in the next hardware revision.

Battery Life Improvements

The customer wanted to increase battery life of the product. We proposed a number of changes to increases the battery life, and gave estimates of expected improvement and amount of effort needed, and focused on making changes which achieved larger gains with less development time spent.

Manufacturing

We investigated quality issues with PCB Assembly, and suggested a number of changes to the PCB Layout to improve yield and reduce the risk of issues during assembly.

Conclusions

Working closely with the client and taking an agile development approach was essential in this project, as it is the case with most projects. During firmware development we often discover hardware issues that need to be resolved as quickly as possible to avoid time and budget overruns. It’s important to plan for risks and potential issues.

Collaborative Development Approach

The success of the wearable knee brace project hinged on the close collaboration between Lune Digital and OPUM Technologies. Implementing an agile development approach, both teams worked closely to ensure continuous communication and flexibility in navigating the challenges inherent in firmware development. This collaborative effort proved instrumental in achieving a seamless progression from the initial concept stage to the final product release.

Agile Problem Resolution

A crucial aspect of the project involved the identification and resolution of hardware issues during firmware development. The adoption of an agile methodology enabled the teams to address these challenges swiftly and efficiently. This iterative approach allowed for the quick adaptation to unforeseen issues, minimizing the risk of time and budget overruns. The proactive stance towards problem resolution was integral to the project's success.

Proactive Risk Planning for Seamless Development

Recognizing the potential hurdles in firmware development, Lune Digital and OPUM Technologies prioritized proactive risk planning. Anticipating possible issues, the teams implemented strategies to identify, assess, and mitigate risks early in the development cycle. This proactive approach not only contributed to a smoother development process but also ensured that potential setbacks were addressed before they could significantly impact the project timeline and budget.

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