The Design of a Smart Lower-Limb Prosthesis Supporting People with Transtibial Amputation—A Data Acquisition System

Abstract

For people with amputated lower limbs, it is imperative to make high-performance prostheses that reproduce, as accurately as possible, the functions of the amputated limb. In this case, a preliminary study of the lower limbs from a kinematic and dynamic point of view is necessary. This paper proposes a prosthesis design and a system for acquiring the information needed to determine the stepping phase kinematic and dynamic parameters of the legs. This system consists of a sensory system attached to the legs and a acquisition data unit built around a microcontroller. The sensory system is based on a sensory system for determining the weight distribution on the sole, made of resistive pressure sensors. The sensory system will be subjected to measurement repeatability and homogeneity tests to evaluate and validate the accuracy and error of the proposed solution. The data obtained by the sensory system is transmitted in real-time, via wi-fi, to a computer system for interpretation. After processing and interpreting the data using standard data sets for comparison, the position of the legs, the type of gait and the phase of movement can be determined. Constructively, the system is configurable and can be adapted to any person, male or female, regardless of shoe size.

Special Issue on Exoskeleton Robotic Systems

“…In the field of locomotor rehabilitation, prostheses are commonly required by people with trans tibial amputations. The authors of [6] propose the constructive solution of an ankle prosthesis based on an intelligent fluid joint (magneto rheological). Additionally, the sole of the prosthesis is equipped with eight pressure sensors which register the pressure between the sole and the ground, which is necessary to determine the kinematic and dynamic parameters of the person's gait.…”