Collaborative Research: Bioinspired High Energy Recycling Mechanism Ankle Foot Prosthesis

下肢截肢者依靠踝足假肢行走。理想的踝足假体具有刚度和能量返回调节特征，其可以最佳地适应其设置，以允许在不同环境和不同速度下的有效步态。然而，最先进的踝足假体使用传统的弹性部件，例如弹簧、碳纤维叶片或梁，其在步态期间不能提供最佳的能量返回。本研究提出了一种踝足假肢，集成了高能量返回机制，以提供更好的帮助，并评估其对下肢截肢者步行功能的影响。这项研究有可能改善美国210万下肢截肢者的生活质量。该项目还将教育高中，本科和研究生的推广计划。这个外展计划将侧重于探索与人类肌肉骨骼系统和辅助设备的工程相关的原则。这将通过演示运动捕捉系统如何实时创建肌肉激活信号来完成，并演示使用开源肌肉骨骼模拟软件来解释这些示例。该项目将通过为期一周的夏季科学夏令营在中央佛罗里达大学和区域V密西西比科学工程博览会计划在密西西比州立大学。该项目的主要动机是开发一种假肢设备，完全区别于目前最先进的假肢设备，以减少下肢假肢设备用户在行走时需要的过度努力。该项目是首次尝试将这种独特的高效能量回收机制应用于假肢装置，以使下肢截肢者能够进行最佳步行运动。这项研究还将解决一个轻量级的半主动踝足假肢，提供最佳的刚度和更大的能量回报在不同的步行速度的关键需求。为此，将使用基于机器学习的设计优化来确定假体弹性弹簧的曲率和轮廓。建立的弹性弹簧模型将通过有限元分析和弯曲试验进行评估。然后，下肢截肢的参与者将使用开发的假肢行走，以确定假肢的功效。设计出满足这些关键需求的假肢装置，不仅可以确定僵硬对行走和肌肉肌腱功能的影响，还可以满足临床对日常生活中使用的高效假肢的需求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Persons with lower limb amputation rely on ankle foot prostheses for walking. An ideal ankle foot prosthesis has stiffness and energy return adjustment features that can optimally adapt its settings to allow for efficient gait in different environments and at various speeds. However, state-of-the-art ankle foot prostheses use conventional elastic components such as springs, carbon fiber blades, or beams that do not provide optimal energy return during gait. This study proposes an ankle foot prosthesis that integrates a high energy return mechanism to provide improved assistance and evaluates its impact on walking function for persons with lower limb amputation. The proposed research has the potential to improve the quality of life for the 2.1 million people with lower limb amputations in the United States. The project will also educate high school, undergraduate, and graduate students with outreach programs. This outreach program will focus on exploring engineering-related principles with the human musculoskeletal system and assistive devices. This will be done by demonstrating how motion capture systems can create muscle activation signals in real-time, and also demonstrating the usage of an open-source musculoskeletal simulation software to interpret these examples. The program will be presented through a week-long summer science camp at the University of Central Florida and Region V Mississippi Science & Engineering Fair program at Mississippi State University.The main motivation for this project is to develop a prosthetic device, completely distinguished from the current state-of-art prosthetic devices to decrease the excessive effort lower limb prosthetic device users require when walking. This project is the first attempt to employ this unique highly efficient energy recycling mechanism into a prosthetic device to enable optimal walking motions for persons with lower limb amputation. This study will also address the critical need for a lightweight semi-active ankle foot prosthesis that provides optimal stiffness and greater energy return at different walking speeds. To do this, a machine learning-based design optimization will be used to determine the curvatures and contours of the elastic spring of the prosthesis. The established elastic spring model will be evaluated with finite element analyses and bending tests. Then, participants with lower limb amputation will walk with the developed prosthesis to identify the efficacy of the prosthesis. Designing a prosthetic device that meets these critical needs will not only identify the impact of stiffness on walking and musculotendon function but also fill the clinical need for an efficient prosthesis for use in daily living.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.