The design and evaluation of a variable stiffness mechanism for a knee-ankle prosthesis: Adjustable stiffness for lower limb prostheses

Semi-active lower limb prostheses currently use variable damping to generate the gait cycle. This, however, only dissipates energy. Variable stiffness can store and release energy, making prostheses more efficient for walking. This study aims to design and evaluate a semi-active adjustable stiffness ankle-knee prosthesis that can change its...

Design and experimental evaluation of an energy harvesting system to power the control system of lower limb prostheses

Energy harvesting has gained lots of interest over the past few decades. This study explores the application of energy harvesting in lower limb prosthetic devices. The control system of a lower limb prosthesis includes sensors, wireless<br/>systems and other active components which all require battery power. In order to save some of this battery...

Control strategies used in lower limb exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation after brain injury: a systematic review and analysis of clinical effectiveness

Background: In the past decade, there has been substantial progress in the development of robotic controllers that specify how lower-limb exoskeletons should interact with brain-injured patients. However, it is still an open question which exoskeleton control strategies can more effectively stimulate motor function recovery. In this review,...

A New Pneumatic Actuator Design: For Compliant and Lightweight Lower Limb Exoskeletons

Lower limb exoskeletons enable paraplegic patients to stand-up and walk again. However, the weight and overall functional performance of the exoskeleton prevents them from being widely used. To reduce the weight and increase<br/>the performance, pneumatic actuators can be used as an alternative to the commonly used electromechanical actuators....

The effect of the standing angle on reducing fatigue among prolonged standing workers

BACKGROUND: Many occupations require workers to stand for prolonged periods, which can cause discomfort, pain and even injures. Some supermarkets in life provide a foot pad for checkout staff to let them stand on it at work, thereby reducing standing fatigue caused by standing for a long time. The inclined platform is the same as the foot pad...

In-vitro validation of inertial-sensor-to-bone alignment

A major shortcoming in kinematic estimation using skin-attached inertial sensors is the alignment of sensor-embedded and segment-embedded coordinate systems. Only a correct alignment results in clinically relevant kinematics. Model-based inertial-sensor-to-bone alignment methods relate inertial sensor measurements with a model of the joint....

Towards prevention of overuse lower limb injury with a smart wearable for military use

This thesis explains the research into and implementation of overuse lower-limb injury prediction among military recruits, using wearable plantar-pressure sensing and biomechanical gait algorithms. The research has been done with the purpose of designing a usable, affordable and accurate injury-prevention tool, increasing both military wellbeing...

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...

Arm-based control of a lower limb exoskeleton: Proof of concept of a novel approach based on the shoulder kinematics

Recognising the user’s locomotive intentions is crucial for the correct functionality of exoskeletons and active orthoses. For gait applications, extrapolating control inputs from the arm swing may be worthwhile, since arm oscillations naturally occur during human locomotion. A similar method would be unaffected by severe impairments of the...

Three Ways of Assessing the Inertial Biomechanics of a Cyclist's Leg

Due to the complexity of joints and the difficulty to get accurate position measurements, most biomechanical analyses regarding cycling are based on some basic assumptions. For instance, a fixed distance is often set between the hip joint and the seat. Sometimes, this joint is considered to be coincident with the line of the seat-tube. Other...