Design of ankle-knee prostheses using predictive simulations

There is an increasing need for transfemoral prostheses that provide gait support, stability, safety and comfort. Although there are many prostheses available in different levels of complexity and price, there is still room for improvement. It has been proved that the cost of transport (CoT) for walking is significantly increased for...

The Stumblemeter: Design and validation of a system that detects and classifies human stumbling during gait

Background: Osseointegration is a relatively new alternative for a socket to attach an artificial limb to the stump of an amputee. In a surgical procedure, a metal implant is permanently anchored and integrated into the bone of the stump. Amputees with an osseointegrated prosthesis have indicated that they experience better physical control over...

The Stumblemeter: Design and Validation of a System That Detects and Classifies Stumbles during Gait

Stumbling during gait is commonly encountered in patients who suffer from mild to serious walking problems, e.g., after stroke, in osteoarthritis, or amputees using a lower leg prosthesis. Instead of self-reporting, an objective assessment of the number of stumbles in daily life would inform clinicians more accurately and enable the evaluation...

Simulating gait with the 3R60 knee prosthesis and a control moment gyroscope

Developing a new knee prosthesis requires thorough testing. Forward dynamics simulation can be valuable in the development process. It can reduce the need for intermediate prototypes and tests. Currently, there are 3D simulations of healthy walking and kinematic models of common prosthesis like the 3R60. However, they have not yet been combined....

Design of a 3D printed, breathable, volume adjustable, prosthetic socket for transradial amputees in low-income countries

Prostheses are challenging to obtain in low-income countries due to a lack of experts, remote locations, unfortunate production circumstances and an inadequate amount of research. A 3D printed WILMER open fitting for transradial amputees has been developed, which can solve this problem. It is entirely 3D printed and connects the prosthesis to...

Effect of Asymmetric Foot Placement and Reduced Weight-Bearing Asymmetry on the Sit-to-Stand Task of a Unilateral Transfemoral Amputee

The Sit-to-Stand (SiSt) task is one of the most crucial yet mechanically demanding daily tasks. A transfemoral amputee develops high torques on the intact leg to complete the SiSt task. Such high torques are a consequence of limited torques produced by a prosthesis. The main interest of this project is on the sit-to-stand task of a transfemoral...

Lower limb prosthesis liner design for amputees with diabetes

This project investigates the needs of diabetic and vascular amputees to establish design criteria for a new lower-limb prosthesis liner specifically for diabetes and vascular patients. Initially, a literature review was conducted to investigate liner material properties and outcomes during use, as well as how often diabetic and older amputees...

Phase-Specific Stiffness of Sprinting Prostheses: Performance Enhancement of Amputee Sprinting: A Modelling Approach

Running-specific prostheses enable amputee athletes to perform at the highest level. However, current prosthesis design still impairs sprinting performance in multiple ways. An example is the constant mechanical stiffness of the prosthetic devices. The dynamic behaviour of the blade is determined by this property, but it is static and cannot...

A new 3D printed Volume Adaptive Prosthetic Socket for below-the-knee amputees

The lower leg stump is not a stable volume. Volume changes during the day between -10% and +5% may occur and these are caused by fluid movements in the stump. These volume changes can mess up a good fitting prosthetic socket and this can lead to pain and injuries. A new invention called “Unimode Beams” solves this issue by placing over 100 beams...

Learning to use a body-powered prosthesis: changes in functionality and kinematics

Background: Little is known about action-perception learning processes underlying prosthetic skills in body-powered prosthesis users. Body-powered prostheses are controlled through a harness connected by a cable that might provide for limited proprioceptive feedback. This study aims to test transfer of training basic tasks to functional tasks...

Design of 2nd generation WILMER Open Socket

Upper limb amputation causes several functional disabilities and lowers patient’s self body image. At Delft University of Technology the WILMER Open Socket has been developed for below elbow amputees. It allows easy donning and doffing, and minimizes perspiration problems by leaving 75% of the skin uncovered. However, the relative large locking...