Cerebral palsy can cause gait impairments in children that require the prescription of passive ankle-foot orthoses. This project aims to develop a pediatric-sized hydraulic active ankle-foot orthosis with computer-controlled stiffness. The orthosis will allow a clinician to investigate a range of AFO stiffnesses while collecting gait performance metrics to determine the optimal stiffness value for the AFO prescription. The ankle-foot orthosis uses hydraulic technology to generate the large required torques in a light, compact package. The preliminary design uses additive manufacturing to further reduce the weight of the manifolds on the medial and lateral sides of the ankle. The simulation prototype of the design illustrated that the orthosis should be capable of generating 91 Nm of ankle torque and a maximum angular velocity of 483 °/sec. The device will be a valuable resource in the clinic, saving time and resources in the AFO prescription process while improving the healthcare of the patient.
- Dynamic Systems and Control Division
Simulation Based Design of a Pediatric-Sized Hydraulic Ankle-Foot Orthosis
Neubauer, BC, & Durfee, WK. "Simulation Based Design of a Pediatric-Sized Hydraulic Ankle-Foot Orthosis." Proceedings of the ASME 2016 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference. Volume 2: Mechatronics; Mechatronics and Controls in Advanced Manufacturing; Modeling and Control of Automotive Systems and Combustion Engines; Modeling and Validation; Motion and Vibration Control Applications; Multi-Agent and Networked Systems; Path Planning and Motion Control; Robot Manipulators; Sensors and Actuators; Tracking Control Systems; Uncertain Systems and Robustness; Unmanned, Ground and Surface Robotics; Vehicle Dynamic Controls; Vehicle Dynamics and Traffic Control. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. October 12–14, 2016. V002T21A006. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/DSCC2016-9739
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