Development of a dynamic acoustic phantom for simulating human tissue

Human body phantoms are crucial for developing and optimizing medical devices. In acoustic research, phantoms are more essential due to the complexity of acoustic propagation patterns and the invasive nature of measurements. This study presents the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a series of acoustic phantoms that replicate the temporal and acoustic properties of human tissue. These phantoms are developed to study the propagation patterns of acoustic waves through complex anatomical structures and the interactions between medical implants and external acoustic stimulation. The fabrication process begins with the segmentation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to model anatomical structures, followed by the 3-D printing of bones and the molding of soft tissues. The synthetic tissues are molded using gelatin-based materials with acoustic properties similar to different tissues. The final phantom assembly integrates the 3-D-printed bones with the molded tissue components. As a case study, a lower-leg phantom is fabricated. The static acoustic performance is assessed using surface-mounted transducers positioned at various locations, while dynamic performance is evaluated under mechanical loading applied to the superficial posterior compartment using a mechanical testing system (MTS). Finite element simulations are conducted to model acoustic wave propagation and validate the experimental results. The findings highlight the efficacy of the proposed phantoms in understanding acoustic behavior in biological tissues.