Successful preliminary walking experiments on a transtibial amputee fitted with a powered prosthesis.
This paper presents the results of preliminary walking experiments on a transtibial amputee wearing a powered prosthesis. The prosthesis prototype serves as a proof-of-concept implementation for investigating the potential of pleated pneumatic artificial muscles to power a transtibial prosthesis. The device is equipped with pleated pneumatic artificial muscles, and tethered to a laboratory pressure source. The prosthesis is capable of providing the amputee with 100% of the required push-off torque and it can adapt its joint stiffness to the walking speed. This study supports the hypothesis that a powered transtibial prosthesis with adaptable stiffness might be beneficial to the amputee.
Versluys
Rino
R
Robotics & Multibody Mechanics Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium. rino.versluys@vub.ac.be
Lenaerts
Gerlinde
G
Van Damme
Michaël
M
Jonkers
Ilse
I
Desomer
Anja
A
Vanderborght
Bram
B
Peeraer
Louis
L
Van der Perre
Georges
G
Lefeber
Dirk
D
D000673:Amputation, Traumatic; D000674:Amputees / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000843:Ankle Joint; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D005080:Exercise Test; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery*; D019415:Torque; D016138:Walking