Carbon Fiber-Based Twisted and Coiled Artificial Muscles (TCAMs) for Powered Ankle-Foot Orthoses

Kotak, Parth; Wilken, Jason M.; Anderson, Kirsten M.; Lamuta, Caterina

doi:10.1115/1.4051927

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The ability of artificial muscles to output work allows their use in the field of soft robotics, as robotic arms, and in crawling robots. 7,148,149 For example, a pair of plied, self-coiled conductive nylon 6,6 artificial muscles were connected to commercially available finishing lines that acted as tendons and set to act antagonistically on a robotic finger to carry out flexion and extension driven by Joule heating. 148 Pressurizing a tubule fiber resulted in a length increase, and twisting or braiding of this tubule fiber can amplify the actuation stroke upon pressure change.…”

Section: Twisted-fiber Artificial Muscles For Work Outputmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tethering of twisted-fiber artificial muscles

et al. 2023

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Section: Twisted-fiber Artificial Muscles For Work Outputmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tethering of twisted-fiber artificial muscles

et al. 2023

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“…The characteristics of the pneumatic actuator were determined through benchtop experiments. Given the presence of a flexible TPU material and bellow-shaped structure, the force output of this type of actuator depends on the internal pressure and contraction ratio ( Chen et al, 2018 ), which can be characterized by the force-length relationship that is similar to that of skeletal muscles ( Kotak et al, 2022 ). The two ends of the artificial muscle were fixed onto a customized universal tensile test machine.…”

Section: Experiments Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

A portable AFO solution for pneumatic actuator with cable tendon mechanism to assist ankle dorsiflexion

Wang,

Shu,

et al. 2023

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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The limited portability of pneumatic pumps presents a challenge for ankle-foot orthosis actuated by pneumatic actuators. The high-pressure requirements and time delay responses of pneumatic actuators necessitate a powerful and large pump, which renders the entire device heavy and inconvenient to carry. In this paper, we propose and validate a concept that enhances portability by employing a slack cable tendon mechanism. By managing slack tension properly, the time delay response problem of pneumatic actuators is eliminated through early triggering, and the system can be effectively controlled to generate the desired force for dorsiflexion assistance. The current portable integration of the system weighs approximately 1.6 kg, with distribution of 0.5 kg actuation part on the shank and 1.1 kg power system on the waist, excluding the battery. A mathematical model is developed to determine the proper triggering time and volumetric flow rate requirements for pump selection. To evaluate the performance of this actuation system and mathematical model, the artificial muscle’s response time and real volumetric flow rate were preliminarily tested with different portable pumps on a healthy participant during treadmill walking at various speeds ranging from 0.5 m/s to 1.75 m/s. Two small pumps, specifically VN-C1 (5.36 L/min, 300 g) and VN-C4 (9.71L/min, 550 g), meet our design criteria, and then tested on three healthy subjects walking at normal speeds of 1 m/s and 1.5 m/s. The kinematic and electromyographic results demonstrate that the device can facilitate ankle dorsiflexion with a portable pump (300–500 g), generating sufficient force to lift up the foot segment, and reducing muscle activity responsible for ankle dorsiflexion during the swing phase by 8% and 10% at normal speeds of 1 m/s and 1.5 m/s respectively. This portable ankle robot, equipped with a compact pump weighing approximately 1.6 kg, holds significant potential for assisting individuals with lower limb weakness in walking, both within their homes and in clinical settings.

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“…For instance, device weight is diminished effectively by choosing carbon fibre 63,66,77 as component material, without sacrificing structure strength. Additionally, lightweight actuators 73,78,79 are chosen to decrease device weight.…”

Section: Design Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, PMAs 19,72,78,79,81 are widely applied in rehabilitation exoskeletons. They have large power, light weight, and natural compliance.…”

Section: Design Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in wearable actuated ankle-foot orthoses: Medical effects, design, and control

Zhou

2022

Proc Inst Mech Eng H

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This paper presents a survey on recent advances of wearable actuated ankle-foot orthoses (AAFOs). First of all, their medical functions are investigated. From the short-term aspect, they lead to rectification of pathological gaits, reduction of metabolic cost, and improvement of gait performance. After AAFO-based walking training with sufficient time, free walking performance can be enhanced. Then, key design factors are studied. First, primary design parameters are investigated. Second, common actuators are analysed. Third, human-robot interaction (HRI), ergonomics, safety, and application places, are considered. In the following section, control technologies are reviewed from the aspects of rehabilitation stages, gait feature quantities, and controller characteristics. Finally, existing problems are discussed; development trends are prospected.

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Carbon Fiber-Based Twisted and Coiled Artificial Muscles (TCAMs) for Powered Ankle-Foot Orthoses

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Tethering of twisted-fiber artificial muscles

Tethering of twisted-fiber artificial muscles

A portable AFO solution for pneumatic actuator with cable tendon mechanism to assist ankle dorsiflexion

Recent advances in wearable actuated ankle-foot orthoses: Medical effects, design, and control

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