Providing powered joint actuation is a major focus of research in the lower-limb prosthesis area. The capability of actively powering the joints enables the prosthesis to meet the energetic requirements of locomotion, and thus provide higher performance in restoring the lost lower-limb functions in comparison with traditional passive prostheses. In this paper, a powered transfemoral (above-knee) prosthesis is presented, in which the knee and ankle are powered with pneumatic muscle actuators. A new variable-radius pulley-based mechanism is utilized, which enables the free adjustment of actuation torque curve to better match the desired torque curve as dictated by the locomotive requirements. Additionally, a spring-return mechanism is also incorporated, which replaces the muscle actuator in the “weak” (less torque-demanding) direction with a set of mechanical springs. With this mechanism, both knee and ankle joints can be powered while maintaining a compact profile of the prosthesis. The design details are presented, and the prosthesis is able to provide sufficient torque for an 85 kg user in various locomotion modes. A prototype of the prosthesis has been fabricated and tested, with the preliminary results indicating that this prosthesis is able to provide a walking gait similar to that of a healthy person.
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December 2014
Technical Briefs
Design and Preliminary Testing of a Pneumatic Muscle-Actuated Transfemoral Prosthesis
Molei Wu,
Molei Wu
The Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
The University of Alabama
,Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
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Tad Driver,
Tad Driver
The Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
The University of Alabama
,Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
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Sai-Kit Wu,
Sai-Kit Wu
The Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
The University of Alabama
,Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
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Xiangrong Shen
Xiangrong Shen
The Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
e-mail: xshen@eng.ua.edu
The University of Alabama
,Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
e-mail: xshen@eng.ua.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Molei Wu
The Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
The University of Alabama
,Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Tad Driver
The Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
The University of Alabama
,Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Sai-Kit Wu
The Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
The University of Alabama
,Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
Xiangrong Shen
The Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
e-mail: xshen@eng.ua.edu
The University of Alabama
,Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
e-mail: xshen@eng.ua.edu
Manuscript received July 31, 2013; final manuscript received February 6, 2014; published online August 19, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Carl A. Nelson.
J. Med. Devices. Dec 2014, 8(4): 044502 (7 pages)
Published Online: August 19, 2014
Article history
Received:
July 31, 2013
Revision Received:
February 6, 2014
Citation
Wu, M., Driver, T., Wu, S., and Shen, X. (August 19, 2014). "Design and Preliminary Testing of a Pneumatic Muscle-Actuated Transfemoral Prosthesis." ASME. J. Med. Devices. December 2014; 8(4): 044502. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4026830
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