SBIR Phase II: Quasi-Active Prosthetic Ankle System: Dynamic Angle and Stiffness Optimizations for Multiple Gait Activities

SBIR 第二阶段：准主动假肢踝关节系统：多种步态活动的动态角度和刚度优化

• 批准号: 1660235
• 负责人: Jeffrey Ward
• 金额: $ 75万
• 依托单位: SpringActive, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-03-01 至 2020-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1660235&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Quasi; Active

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that the proposed system will enhance the ability of the 1.3 million people currently living in the United States with a lower limb amputation to walk in unconstrained environments. The proposed Quasi-Active Prosthetic Ankle System (QPAS) addresses the RH6: Human Assistive Technologies area. QPAS will be lightweight, have a long battery life, and optimize the passive dynamics of amputee gait in unconstrained environments by using battery energy to tune its physical system properties, ankle equilibrium angle and torsional stiffness. The device provides a unique set of features that do not currently exist in the market, strengthening its value proposition. The amputee population is growing; 2,000 new lower limb amputation are performed each week. Therefore, QPAS will have strong market potential and the significant societal impact of improving health by supporting a more active lifestyle for lower limb amputees. This will also lead to more community and family involvement. Additionally, because of the many possibilities to control QPAS, gait researchers will be able to study amputee compensation preferences. A better understanding of the kinematic and kinetic preferences could lead to improvements in the design of purely passive ankle prostheses. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 project addresses the needs of lower limb amputees. Lower limb amputees suffer from reduced self-selected walking speed, increased metabolic cost, increased reaction loads on the sound limb, poor gait symmetry, and reduced stability with increased risk of falling. Passive prosthetic feet are only tuned for level ground walking at one speed. QPAS will utilize a patented compliant actuator to achieve a unique set of features: passive energy storage with an articulating ankle joint, adaptable ankle angle for slope gait, low electrical energy usage, a large range of ankle motion, adaptable stiffness to optimize variable cadence level ground and slope gait, and controlled energy delivery to ensure energy builds naturally and smoothly. In this phase 2 SBIR, an intuitive and autonomous controller will be built for the QPAS and human subject evaluations will assist in refining the device towards commercialization. QPAS will become a successful product by focusing on improved amputee gait performance in unconstrained environments, and being simple to fit and adjust, reliable and affordable.

该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，拟议的系统将提高目前生活在美国的130万下肢截肢者在不受约束的环境中行走的能力。拟议的准主动假肢踝关节系统（QPAS）解决了RH6：人类辅助技术领域。QPAS重量轻，电池寿命长，并通过使用电池能量调整其物理系统特性，脚踝平衡角度和扭转刚度来优化无约束环境中截肢者步态的被动动力学。该设备提供了一套目前市场上不存在的独特功能，加强了其价值主张。截肢者的数量在增长；每周有2000例新的下肢截肢手术。因此，QPAS将具有强大的市场潜力和重大的社会影响，通过支持下肢截肢者更积极的生活方式来改善健康。这也将导致更多的社区和家庭参与。此外，由于控制QPAS的多种可能性，步态研究人员将能够研究截肢者的补偿偏好。对运动学和动力学偏好的更好理解可能会导致纯被动踝关节假体设计的改进。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目解决了下肢截肢者的需求。下肢截肢者自选行走速度降低，代谢成本增加，健全肢体反应负荷增加，步态对称性差，稳定性降低，摔倒风险增加。被动假肢脚只适应在平地上以一种速度行走。QPAS将利用专利的柔性致动器来实现一套独特的功能：具有关节的被动能量存储，适合斜坡步态的踝关节角度，低电能消耗，大范围的踝关节运动，可适应的刚度以优化可变节奏的平地和斜坡步态，并控制能量传递以确保能量自然平稳地构建。在第二阶段的SBIR中，将为QPAS建立一个直观和自主的控制器，人类受试者评估将有助于改进设备走向商业化。QPAS将成为一种成功的产品，专注于改善截肢者在无约束环境中的步态表现，并且易于适应和调整，可靠且价格合理。