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

这个项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，它的成功完成将使更多的人获得改进的智能假肢设备。拟议的工作将为下肢截肢者开发辅助技术。180万肢体丧失的美国人中，大多数都是下肢截肢。下肢丧失导致严重的长期健康挑战；髋关节和膝关节置换手术、骨关节炎、骨质疏松症、活动量减少、体重增加、窝窝不适和慢性腰痛。拟议中的系统承诺通过增加步行舒适度和效率来支持更积极的生活方式，从而改善健康状况。通过增加社区和家庭的参与，这对不断增长的截肢者人口产生了重大的社会影响。由于控制该研究装置的多种可能性，人类移动科学家将能够通过调整系统上的不同参数来研究截肢者的行走补偿。这个新工具可能会导致如何进一步减少截肢者行走的长期后果的新概念。本研究针对功能水平K2及以上的截肢者。在不增加类似系统成本的情况下改进功能意味着市场潜力和社会影响将是巨大的。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的重点是为失去下肢的个人提供支持。失去下肢的生活对个人有严重的影响吗？S流动性，包括；行走速度降低，对健康肢体的依赖增加，行走不对称增加，在不平坦的表面行走困难，稳定性降低，摔倒的风险增加。适当的踝关节角度适应斜面对截肢者来说是很重要的，否则严重的补偿出现在他们的剩余关节。本课题的研究目标是研制一种能够适应斜坡平衡位置并动态优化其扭转刚度的假肢踝关节。这些特点将确保截肢肢的自然负载响应，同时提供被动系统的最大可能的辅助。一种独特的驱动器设计，可以同时改变其长度和刚度特性，将被纳入踝关节假体。该假肢将由微处理器控制，虽然不向台阶添加正能量，但它会优化台阶内每个点的角度和刚度参数。这种装置的结果将改善下肢截肢者的行走稳定性、舒适性和效率。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that its successful completion will lead to greater access to improved, smart prosthetics devices. The proposed work will develop assistive technology for the lower limb amputee population. The majority of the 1.8 million Americans suffering from limb loss have a lower limb amputation. Living with a lower limb loss results in severe long term health challenges; hip and knee replacement surgeries, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, reduced activity levels, increased weight gain, socket discomfort, and chronic lower back pain. The proposed system promises to improve health by supporting a more active lifestyle through increased walking comfort and efficiency. This has significant societal impact on the growing amputee population through increased community and family involvement. Because of the many possibilities to control the proposed research device, human mobility scientists will be able to study amputee walking compensations by tuning different parameters on the system. This new tool will likely lead to new concepts on how to further reduce the long term consequences of amputee walking. This research is targeted for functional level K2 and above amputees. Improving functionality without increasing the cost over similar systems means the market potential and societal impact will be substantial. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is focused on the support of individuals that have lost a lower limb. Living with the loss of a lower limb has severe effects on an individual?s mobility, including; reduced walking speed, increased reliance on the healthy limb, increased walking asymmetry, difficulty navigating uneven surfaces, and reduced stability with increased risk of falling. Proper ankle angle adaptation to a sloped surface is important for amputees, otherwise severe compensations arise in their remaining joints. The research objective of the proposed work is to develop a prosthetic ankle that adapts its equilibrium position to a slope while dynamically optimizing its torsional stiffness. These features will ensure a natural loading response on the amputated limb while providing the most possible assistance from a passive system. A unique actuator design that can simultaneously change its length and stiffness properties will be incorporated into an ankle prosthesis. This prosthesis will be microprocessor controlled, and while not adding positive energy to a step, it will optimize angle and stiffness parameters at every point within the step. The result of such a device would be improved walking stability, comfort, and efficiency for a lower limb amputee.