Towards an ankle-foot orthosis powered by a dielectric elastomer actuator
Towards an ankle-foot orthosis powered by a dielectric elastomer actuator
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DOI：
10.1016/j.mechatronics.2021.102551
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发表时间：
2021-05-03
期刊：
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Gregg, Robert D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Allen, David P.;Little, Ryan;Gregg, Robert D.
足下垂是由于神经肌肉损伤而无法背屈踝关节（抬起脚趾），这种常见的情况可能导致绊倒和福尔斯。目前慢性足下垂的治疗提供背屈支持，但它们要么阻碍踝关节蹬离，要么不适合所有患者。动力踝足矫形器（AFO）可以抵消足下垂而没有这些缺点，但它们笨重且电池寿命短。为了消除足下垂而没有当前治疗或动力AFO的缺点，我们设计并建造了一种由介电弹性体致动器（DEA）驱动的AFO，这是一种人工肌肉技术。本文介绍了我们的设计和实验室测试的结果。我们发现，DEA AFO可以提供49%的背屈支持，必要的提高脚。此外，与被动DEA行为相比，对DEA充电减少了跖屈所需的努力，并且在实际操作中，该操作可以为7000步或更多步提供动力。DEAs是一种很有前途的方法，用于建立一个AFO，抵消足下垂，而不妨碍跖屈，他们可能会被证明是有用的其他动力假体和矫形器的设计。
Foot drop is the inability to dorsiflex the ankle (raise the toes) due to neuromuscular impairment, and this common condition can cause trips and falls. Current treatments for chronic foot drop provide dorsiflexion support, but they either impede ankle push off or are not suitable for all patients. Powered ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) can counteract foot drop without these drawbacks, but they are heavy and bulky and have short battery life. To counteract foot drop without the drawbacks of current treatments or powered AFO, we designed and built an AFO powered by dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), a type of artificial muscle technology. This paper presents our design and the results of benchtop testing. We found that the DEA AFO can provide 49% of the dorsiflexion support necessary to raise the foot. Further, charging the DEAs reduced the effort that would be required for plantarflexion compared to that with passive DEA behavior, and this operation could be powered for 7000 steps or more in actual operation. DEAs are a promising approach for building an AFO that counteracts foot drop without impeding plantarflexion, and they may prove useful for other powered prosthesis and orthosis designs.