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

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，拟议的系统将增强目前生活在美国的130万下肢截肢患者在不受限制的环境中行走的能力。拟议的准主动义肢踝关节系统(QPAS)涉及RH6：人体辅助技术领域。QPAS将是轻量级的，具有较长的电池寿命，并通过使用电池能量调整其物理系统属性、脚踝平衡角和扭转刚度来优化截肢者步态在不受约束的环境中的被动动力学。这款设备提供了一系列目前市场上不存在的独特功能，强化了其价值主张。截肢者的人数正在增长；每周有2000例新的下肢截肢手术。因此，通过支持截肢者更积极的生活方式，QPAS将具有强大的市场潜力和改善健康的重大社会影响。这也将导致更多的社区和家庭参与。此外，由于控制QPAS的可能性很多，步态研究人员将能够研究截肢者的补偿偏好。更好地了解运动学和运动学偏好可能会改进纯被动踝关节假体的设计。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目解决了下肢截肢者的需求。截肢者自选行走速度减慢，代谢成本增加，健肢反应负荷增加，步态对称性差，稳定性降低，跌倒风险增加。被动假肢只能在平地上以一种速度行走。QPAS将利用获得专利的柔顺致动器来实现一套独特的功能：通过关节连接的踝关节进行被动能量存储，针对坡度步态调整脚踝角度，低电能使用量，大范围的脚踝运动，用于优化可变节奏水平的地面步态和坡度步态的自适应刚度，以及受控的能量传递，以确保能量自然而平稳地构建。在第二阶段的SBIR中，将为QPA建立一个直观和自主的控制器，人类主体评估将帮助改进该设备，使其走向商业化。QPAS将成为一款成功的产品，因为它专注于改善截肢者在不受限制的环境中的步态性能，并且安装和调整简单、可靠和负担得起。

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.