Design and clinical implementation of an open-source bionic leg

Abstract

In individuals with lower-limb amputations, robotic prostheses can increase walking speed, and reduce energy use, the incidence of falls and the development of secondary complications. However, safe and reliable prosthetic-limb control strategies for robust ambulation in real-world settings remain out of reach, partly because control strategies have been tested with different robotic hardware in constrained laboratory settings. Here, we report the design and clinical implementation of an integrated robotic knee–ankle prosthesis that facilitates the real-world testing of its biomechanics and control strategies. The bionic leg is open source, it includes software for low-level control and for communication with control systems, and its hardware design is customizable, enabling reduction in its mass and cost, improvement in its ease of use and independent operation of the knee and ankle joints. We characterized the electromechanical and thermal performance of the bionic leg in benchtop testing, as well as its kinematics and kinetics in three individuals during walking on level ground, ramps and stairs. The open-source integrated-hardware solution and benchmark data that we provide should help with research and clinical testing of knee–ankle prostheses in real-world environments.

Virtual Reality for Neurorehabilitation and Cognitive Enhancement

“…Because it is quite difficult to control one’s own EEG signals, training protocols need to provide visual feedback that allows the subjects to monitor their progress [ 179 ]. VR can provide such feedback for tracking the progress of a BCI-controlling task [ 180 ] and can even sustain the illusion of embodiment through suitable sensory stimulation to reward specific brain-activity patterns [ 181 , 182 , 183 , 184 , 185 , 186 ]. Indeed, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been successfully applied to achieve a sense of ownership and a sense of agency over an avatar in immersive VR [ 187 ].…”

Converging Robotic Technologies in Targeted Neural Rehabilitation: A Review of Emerging Solutions and Challenges

“…Prosthetics of the knee joint with impedance control have been developed by Biomechatronics Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Delft University of Technology [190]. Other commercial examples of bionic ankles are: the MIT Powered Ankle, the first commercialized powered ankle prosthesis by Ottobock and previously by BionX; the one from Arizona State University, commercialized by SpringActive; one from the Mechanics Research Group (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), commercialized by Axiles Bionics; and one from the Biomechatronics Lab (Stanford University), commercialized by Humotech [191]. Several 3D printed LL prosthetic designs are being fabricated by companies, such as the bionic leg prostheses by BionX Medical Technologies, the Exo-Prosthetic leg, and the Andiamo leg [192].…”

“…Active or powered prostheses are actuated by motors and provide greater performance and functionality. Various research groups are developing powered knee, ankle, or leg prostheses that provide kinematics that are similar to able-bodied movement in a more effective way than passive and semi-active systems [ 191 ]. LL prosthetics that control both knee and ankle joints are the Vanderbilt Prosthetic Leg by Center for Intelligent Mechatronics, the OSL by Neurobionics Lab, and the AMPRO by Advanced Mechanical Bipedal Experimental Robotics Lab [ 191 ].…”

“…Various research groups are developing powered knee, ankle, or leg prostheses that provide kinematics that are similar to able-bodied movement in a more effective way than passive and semi-active systems [ 191 ]. LL prosthetics that control both knee and ankle joints are the Vanderbilt Prosthetic Leg by Center for Intelligent Mechatronics, the OSL by Neurobionics Lab, and the AMPRO by Advanced Mechanical Bipedal Experimental Robotics Lab [ 191 ]. Prosthetics of the knee joint with impedance control have been developed by Biomechatronics Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Delft University of Technology [ 190 ].…”

The Injury Mechanism of Traumatic Amputation

“…With regards to morbidity, a US-Army study showed only a 2.3% return-toduty rate for soldiers who had sustained a traumatic amputation (of whom most had suffered only partial hand or foot loss) (Kishbaugh et al, 1995). The 2013 Boston Marathon bombing caused 17 lower limb traumatic amputations and a further 10 severe soft tissue extremity injuries (King et al, 2015); the morbidity in these civilian injuries is likewise extensive with reduced mobility, phantom limb pain, and an overall reduced quality of life reported (Sinha et al, 2011;Azocar et al, 2020). To limit future morbidity and mortality through mitigative strategies, an accurate understanding of the mechanism of injury is essential.…”