Leveraging Toe Dynamics to Improve Prosthetic Feet and Amputee Mobility

CBET -1605200 Zelik，Karl E.有超过100万美国人患有下肢损失，每年美国医院与截肢相关的费用超过80亿美元。这些下肢截肢者与行动相关的挑战作斗争，这些挑战降低了他们的生活质量，使体力活动更加疲劳，健康更加不稳定，独立生活更加困难。动力仿生假肢已经被开发出来，以帮助解决这些流动性和健康的缺陷;然而，这些动力脚是昂贵的许多截肢者。迫切需要低成本的假肢创新，这可以提高截肢者的行走能力，并为社会经济各阶层的个人所用。这项研究计划旨在探讨一个潜在的解决方案，通过探索如何脚趾关节动力学可以纳入被动假肢脚，以提高流动性。虽然生物脚趾被认为是有益的步行和平衡，很少有人注意到恢复这一重要的脚趾功能到假肢脚。由于我们现有的数据和理解是有限的，本建议的第一个目标是系统地描述踝关节和趾关节之间的相互作用。这种脚趾关节动力学的新科学知识可以应用于开发具有优化脚趾特性的假肢脚，以提高截肢者的行走能力。这项研究将解决我们对踝足功能的基本理解中的重要知识差距，并可能导致更负担得起和有效的足部假体，从而提高社会经济范围内截肢者的生活质量。本科生和研究生将参与这项研究的各个阶段，并将有针对性地努力促进工程中的性别和种族少数群体的包容性。假肢科学和技术将纳入大学课程，这项研究将得到广泛传播;例如，通过当地初中和高中学生的实验室图尔斯，特别是针对科学和工程领域代表性不足的群体的社区组织。本研究的目的是调查踝关节和趾关节在双足步态中的动态相互作用，然后评估一个低成本的脚趾关节假肢是否能改善下肢截肢者的活动能力。提出了一系列系统的参数研究，以促进我们对踝足功能的基本理解，这有可能刺激变革性和负担得起的假肢进步。这项研究的重点是平地行走，因为它是一种普遍存在的人类运动模式，对日常生活至关重要。将开发一种可重构的足部假体，其允许踝足参数（例如，关节硬度、脚和脚趾长度）系统地和独立地变化。目的1旨在评估关节脚趾的加入是否可以增加行走时肢体的蹬离能力并改善步态经济性，并确定最佳脚趾特性。将进行人类受试者参数研究，以生成新的生物力学数据（例如，运动学、动力学、代谢率），其表征踝关节和趾关节之间的动态相互作用以及对全身步态的影响。这将是第一个受控的，系统的研究脚趾参数，内外自然生物变异。这项研究将填补一个重要的知识空白，并为新的、低成本的假脚创新提供科学依据。对踝-趾相互作用的了解的增加也可能影响外骨骼、矫形器和人形机器人的设计。目标2旨在进行一项可行性研究，通过比较带与不带脚趾关节的被动式假肢上行走的经胫骨截肢者，来测试带关节脚趾关节的假肢足是否可以改善截肢者的行走性能。评估将与临床合作伙伴合作进行，使用全面的生物力学分析和专门护理截肢者的康复医生的专业知识。

CBET - 1605200Zelik, Karl E.There are over 1 million Americans with lower-limb loss, and annual U.S. hospital costs associated with amputation are in excess of $8 billion. These lower-limb amputees struggle with mobility-related challenges that degrade their quality of life, by making physical activity more fatiguing, health more precarious, and independent living more difficult. Powered bionic prostheses have been developed to help address some of these mobility and health deficits; however, these powered feet are prohibitively expensive for many amputees. There is a pressing need for lower-cost prosthetic innovations, which can improve amputee walking ability and be accessible to individuals across the socioeconomic spectrum. This research proposal seeks to investigate one potential solution, by exploring how toe joint dynamics can be incorporated into passive prosthetic feet to enhance mobility. Although biological toes are known to be beneficial for walking and balance, little attention has been paid to restoring this important toe function into prosthetic feet. The first goal of this proposal is to systematically characterize the interplay between the ankle and toe joints, since our existing data and understanding is limited. This new scientific knowledge of toe joint dynamics can then be applied to develop prosthetic feet with optimized toe properties that improve amputee walking abilities. This research will address important knowledge gaps in our fundamental understanding of ankle-foot function, and could lead to more affordable and effective foot prostheses that improve quality of life for amputees across the socioeconomic spectrum. Undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in all stages of this research, and targeted efforts will be made to promote inclusion of gender and racial minorities in engineering. Prosthetic science and technology will be integrated into the university curriculum, and this research will be disseminated broadly; for example, through lab tours for local middle and high school students, specifically for community organizations targeting under-represented groups in science and engineering.The objective of this research is to investigate the dynamic interplay between the ankle and toe joints during bipedal gait, and then assess if a low-cost prosthetic foot with articulating toe joint can improve mobility outcomes for lower-limb amputees. A series of systematic parameter studies is proposed to advance our fundamental understanding of ankle-foot function, which has the potential to spur transformative and affordable prosthetic advances. This research focuses on level ground walking because it is a ubiquitous mode of human locomotion, and critical for daily living. A reconfigurable foot prosthesis will be developed, which allows ankle-foot parameters (e.g., joint stiffness, foot and toe lengths) to be systematically and independently varied. Aim 1 seeks to assess if inclusion of an articulating toe can increase limb push-off capabilities during walking and improve gait economy, and to identify optimal toe properties. Human subject parameter studies will be performed to generate new biomechanical data (e.g., kinematics, kinetics, metabolic rate), which characterize the dynamic interplay between the ankle and toe joints, and the effects on whole-body gait. This will be the first controlled, systematic study of toe parameters, within and beyond natural biological variation. This research will fill an important knowledge gap, and provide the scientific basis for new, low-cost innovations in prosthetic feet. Increased knowledge of ankle-toe interplay could also impact the design of exoskeletons, orthoses and humanoid robots. Aim 2 seeks to perform a feasibility study to test if a prosthetic foot with an articulating toe joint can improve amputee walking performance, by comparing transtibial amputees walking on a passive foot prosthesis with vs. without a toe joint. Assessment will be performed in collaboration with clinical partners, using comprehensive biomechanical analysis and the expertise of rehabilitation physicians dedicated to the care of amputees.