Design of a quasi-passive ankle-foot prosthesis with biomimetic, variable stiffness

Max K. Shepherd, Elliott J. Rouse

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Modern passive ankle-foot prostheses do not exhibit appropriate biomechanics during walking, and are unable to adjust their mechanics for other mobility tasks, such as stair traversal or quiet standing. In this paper, we introduce a quasi-passive ankle-foot prosthesis that addresses these challenges; the ankle has a customizable, nonlinear torque-angle curve, and the overall stiffness can be varied continuously between mobility tasks. The variation in mechanics is accomplished by integrating two mechanisms: a cam-based transmission, in which rotation of the ankle joint causes deflection of a leaf spring, and an active sliding support beneath the leaf spring, which can modify the spring's effective stiffness. In addition to introducing the design, we present the mathematics to calculate the cam profile for any arbitrary torque-angle curve, and experimentally characterize the system for a desired curve based on human walking. Lastly, we demonstrate the full range of stiffness levels available and stiffness transition time.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationICRA 2017 - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages6672-6678
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9781509046331
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 21 2017
Event2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2017 - Singapore, Singapore
Duration: May 29 2017Jun 3 2017

Publication series

NameProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
ISSN (Print)1050-4729

Other

Other2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2017
Country/TerritorySingapore
CitySingapore
Period5/29/176/3/17

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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