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，拟议的系统将增强目前居住在美国的130万人的能力，下肢截肢在不受约束的环境中行走。 拟议的准活动假体踝系统（QPA）涉及RH6：人类辅助技术领域。 QPA将轻巧，电池寿命较长，并通过使用电池能量调整其物理系统特性，踝关节平衡角度和扭转刚度，从而在不受约束的环境中优化截肢步态的被动动态。 该设备提供了一套独特的功能，这些功能当前不存在于市场上，从而加强了其价值主张。 截肢者人口正在增长；每周进行2,000个新的下肢截肢。 因此，QPA将具有强大的市场潜力，并通过支持下肢截肢者的更积极的生活方式来改善健康的重大影响。 这也将导致更多的社区和家庭参与。 此外，由于控制QPA的许多可能性，步态研究人员将能够研究截肢者补偿偏好。 更好地了解运动学和动力学偏好可能会改善纯粹的被动踝关节设计。 这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第2阶段项目解决了下肢截肢者的需求。下肢截肢者的自我选择步行速度降低，代谢成本提高，声音肢体上的反应负荷增加，步态对称性不佳以及稳定性降低，随着降落的风险增加。 被动假肢仅用于以一种速度行走的水平地面行走。 QPA将利用专利的符合专利的执行器来实现一套独特的功能：带有明显的踝关节的被动能量存储，可适应性的脚踝角度，用于坡度步态，低电能使用，脚踝运动范围的范围范围范围，适应性的刚度，可适应性的刚度，以优化可变的节奏水平地面和索赔能量，并自然地填充能量和控制能量和平稳的能量。 在此第2阶段SBIR中，将为QPA构建直观和自主控制器，人类主题评估将有助于完善商业化设备。 QPA将通过专注于不受限制的环境中的截肢步态性能，并易于适合和调整，可靠，可靠和负担得起，成为成功的产品。