Thin Tube Network Used for Mechatronic Suspension System of Lower Limb Prosthesis

This article studies the design of passive elastic elements to reduce the actuator requirements for powered ankle prostheses. The challenge is to achieve most of the typically nonlinear ankle response with the passive element so that the active ankle-torque from the actuator can be small. The main contribution of this article is the design of a cam-based lower-limb prosthesis to achieve such a nonlinear ankle response. Results are presented to show that the addition of the cam-based passive element can reduce the peak actuator torque requirement substantially, by ∼74%. Moreover, experimental results are presented to demonstrate that the cam-based design can achieve a desired nonlinear response to within 10%.

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Haptic feedback in lower-limb prosthesis: Combined haptic feedback and EMG control of a powered prosthesis

2016 IEEE EMBS International Student Conference (ISC) ◽

10.1109/embsisc.2016.7508600 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. Miles Canino ◽

Kevin B. Fite

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Haptic Feedback ◽

Emg Control ◽

Lower Limb Prosthesis ◽

Powered Prosthesis ◽

Limb Prosthesis

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Comparative Analysis of the Assessment Methods of the Rehabilitative-Prosthetic Path of the Patient with Lower Limb Prosthesis

Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing - Advances in Social and Occupational Ergonomics ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-20145-6_44 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 443-457

Author(s):

Francesco Draicchio ◽

Antonella Tatarelli ◽

Simona Castellano ◽

Ida Poni ◽

Lorenzo Fiori ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Assessment Methods ◽

Lower Limb Prosthesis ◽

Limb Prosthesis

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Reduced cortical brain activity with the use of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees during walking

Prosthetics and Orthotics International ◽

10.1177/0309364618805260 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 257-265 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Saffran Möller ◽

David Rusaw ◽

Kerstin Hagberg ◽

Nerrolyn Ramstrand

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Processes ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Prosthetic Knee ◽

Level Walking ◽

Lower Limb Prosthesis ◽

Prosthetic Knees ◽

Limb Prosthesis

Background: Individuals using a lower-limb prosthesis indicate that they need to concentrate on every step they take. Despite self-reports of increased cognitive demand, there is limited understanding of the link between cognitive processes and walking when using a lower-limb prosthesis. Objective: The objective was to assess cortical brain activity during level walking in individuals using different prosthetic knee components and compare them to healthy controls. It was hypothesized that the least activity would be observed in the healthy control group, followed by individuals using a microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee and finally individuals using a non-microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: An optical brain imaging system was used to measure relative changes in concentration of oxygenated and de-oxygenated haemoglobin in the frontal and motor cortices during level walking. The number of steps and time to walk 10 m was also recorded. The 6-min walk test was assessed as a measure of functional capacity. Results: Individuals with a transfemoral or knee-disarticulation amputation, using non-microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee ( n = 14) or microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee ( n = 15) joints and healthy controls ( n = 16) participated in the study. A significant increase was observed in cortical brain activity of individuals walking with a non-microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee when compared to healthy controls ( p < 0.05) and individuals walking with an microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joint ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: Individuals walking with a non-microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee demonstrated an increase in cortical brain activity compared to healthy individuals. Use of a microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee was associated with less cortical brain activity than use of a non-microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee. Clinical relevance Increased understanding of cognitive processes underlying walking when using different types of prosthetic knees can help to optimize selection of prosthetic components and provide an opportunity to enhance functioning with a prosthesis.

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