Evaluation of a quasi-passive biarticular prosthesis to replicate gastrocnemius function in transtibial amputee gait

Willson, Andrea M.; Richburg, Chris A.; Anderson, Anthony; Muir, Brittney C.; Czerniecki, Joseph M.; Steele, Katherine M.; Aubin, Patrick M.

doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110749

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Other research groups have also developed BPs to provide knee flexion assistance to TTAs. For example, our research group previously developed an autonomous BP that combined a knee orthosis with a passive ankle prosthesis [20,21]. The device used a clutched biarticular spring to provide gastrocnemiuslike torque to the ankle and knee during stance and minimal torque during swing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent research has begun to investigate the potential of assistive devices that integrate ankle prostheses with knee-assistance mechanisms, herein referred to as biarticular prostheses (BPs). A range of designs has emerged, encompassing both passive and powered ankle prostheses as well as quasi-passive and powered knee exoskeletons or exosuits [17][18][19][20][21][22], While some preliminary studies report encouraging outcomes, such as enhanced metabolic walking economy and reduced hip compensations [18,19,23], BPs are not currently available for clinical use. In summary, BPs represent an emerging area of research, and additional studies are needed to explore basic questions about their design, control, and potential to improve walking outcomes in PwTA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Robotic Emulator for the Systematic Exploration of Transtibial Biarticular Prosthesis Designs

Anderson,

Gauthier,

Sunil Varre

et al. 2023

Preprint

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<p>Introduction: People with transtibial limb loss frequently experience suboptimal gait outcomes. This is partly attributable to the absence of the biarticular gastrocnemius muscle, which plays a unique role in walking. Although a recent surge of biarticular prostheses aims to restore gastrocnemius function, the broad design space and lack of consensus on optimal hardware and control strategies present scientific and engineering challenges. Methods: This study introduces a robotic biarticular prosthesis emulator, comprising a uniarticular ankle-foot prosthesis and knee flexion exoskeleton, each actuated by a custom off-board system. Benchtop experiments were conducted to characterize the emulator’s mechatronic performance. Walking experiments with one transtibial amputee demonstrated the system’s capability for providing knee and ankle assistance. Results: The -3 dB bandwidths for the knee exoskeleton’s torque and motor velocity controllers were measured at approximately 5 Hz and 100 Hz, respectively. A feedforward iterative learning controller reduced the root-mean-squared torque tracking error from 6.04 Nm to 0.99 Nm in hardware-in-the-loop experiments, an 84% improvement. User-preference-based tuning yielded a peak knee torque of approximately 20% of the estimated biological knee moment. Conclusions: This biarticular prosthesis emulator demonstrates significant potential as a versatile research platform that can offer valuable insights for the advancement of lower-limb assistive devices.</p>

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Robotic Emulator for the Systematic Exploration of Transtibial Biarticular Prosthesis Designs

Anderson,

Gauthier,

Sunil Varre

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Existing devices that aim to mimic the stiffness modulation of a biological ankle include quasi-passive devices that vary joint stiffness [10], [11], [12] or recycle heel strike energy during pushoff [13], and powered devices that combine a stiffness-adjustable parallel spring with a series-elastic actuator [14] (Table I). Additional quasi-passive prostheses exist that vary damping properties [22], [23], [24], [25], joint position [26], [27], [28], spring equilibrium set-point [29], and forefoot bending stiffness [30]. This article presents the mechanical and mechatronic design of a novel quasi-passive variable stiffness ankle-foot prosthesis (VSA) for walking speed adaptation that is lower in mass than all existing variable stiffness ankle-foot prostheses (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Evaluation of a Quasi-Passive Variable Stiffness Prosthesis for Walking Speed Adaptation in People With Transtibial Amputation

Rogers-Bradley,

Yeon,

Landis

et al. 2024

IEEE/ASME Trans. Mechatron.

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The biological ankle joint adjusts stiffness to adapt to changing walking speed, terrain, and load carriage. The most commonly used passive transtibial prostheses are unable to adjust device stiffness and therefore do not maximize potential energy storage and peak prosthesis power across speeds. We present a quasi-passive variable stiffness ankle-foot prosthesis with discrete stiffness adjustment from 352 to 479 Nm/radian, corresponding to the range of biological ankle quasi-stiffness exhibited during level ground walking at speeds from 0.75 to 1.5 m/s for a 77 kg person. We implement a novel parallel leaf spring mechanism that utilizes custom solenoid-driven linear actuators to constrain sliding of parallel leaf springs relative to a mechanical ground in order to control bending stiffness. The prosthesis is lower in mass than all existing variable stiffness prostheses, with a mass of 945 g. We present initial results from a pilot study with one participant with unilateral transtibial amputation, demonstrating an increase in range of motion, peak prosthesis power, and energy storage and return, and a decrease in contralateral knee external adduction moment across a range of walking speeds. This variable stiffness ankle-foot prosthesis demonstrates the potential to improve biomechanics of walking through the design of a low-mass, quasi-passive prosthesis.

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Amputé traumatique du membre inférieur. Points de vue de l’orthoprothésiste et du biomécanicien

Bascou,

Azoulay,

Logel

et al. 2024

Bulletin de l'Académie Nationale de Médecine

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Evaluation of a quasi-passive biarticular prosthesis to replicate gastrocnemius function in transtibial amputee gait

Cited by 8 publications

References 30 publications

A Robotic Emulator for the Systematic Exploration of Transtibial Biarticular Prosthesis Designs

A Robotic Emulator for the Systematic Exploration of Transtibial Biarticular Prosthesis Designs

Design and Evaluation of a Quasi-Passive Variable Stiffness Prosthesis for Walking Speed Adaptation in People With Transtibial Amputation

Amputé traumatique du membre inférieur. Points de vue de l’orthoprothésiste et du biomécanicien

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