MULTIFUNCTIONAL SEMI-POWERED ANKLE PROSTHESIS

PROJECT SUMMARY A conventional prosthetic ankle consists of a carbon fiber ankle foot complex that is nominally configured to a neutral positionThese prostheses generally work well for level walking and level ground standingbut lack the adaptability to explicitly accommodate other terrain or locomotion activitiessuch as slope walkingslope standingand stair ambulationAs suchcommon activities with a conventional prosthesis can be some of the most daunting and dangerous for individuals with lower limb amputationThe investigators have developed a novel microprocessor controlled multifunction ankle prosthesis that is able to adapt its behavior to accommodate slope walkingslope standingand stair ambulation in a compactlightweightquietcost competitive device that requires little electrical powerThe prosthesis provides three microprocessor controlled behaviorsa selectable stiffness equilibrium anglelockable conformal dampingand swing phase repositioningNo other prosthesis combines this set of featuresThe investigators hypothesize that the proposed prosthesis will provide a number of mobilitystabilityand health benefits to individuals with transtibial amputationrelative to a conventional prosthesisThe primary goal of this Phase I proposal is to assess some of the prospective biomechanical benefits of the proposed prosthesis relative to a conventional prosthesis in order to evaluate the value proposition offered by itIn order to do sothe investigators propose herein the following three aimsdevelop and refine a level ground walking controller for the novel prosthesisconduct biomechanical studies on three subjects with transtibial amputation that characterize the efficacy of the novel prosthesis during level ground walkingrelative to walking with a conventional prosthesisanddevelop a stair descent controllerand conduct biomechanical experiments that characterize on at least one subject with transtibial amputation the efficacy of the novel prosthesis during stair descentrelative to stair descent with a conventional prosthesisIf the prosthesis is shown to provide substantive value to the user relative to conventional prostheses and other devices currently availablethe investigators will proceed to a Phase II proposal in support of making the prosthesis commercially available to individuals who may benefit from it PROJECT NARRATIVE The investigators have developed a novel microprocessor controlled multifunction ankle prosthesis that is able to adapt its behavior to accommodate slope walkingslope standingand stair ambulationIt is hypothesized that the proposed prosthesis will provide a number of mobilitystabilityand health benefits to individuals with lower extremity amputationThe primary goal of this Phase I proposal is to assess some of the prospective biomechanical benefits of the proposed prosthesis relative to a conventional prosthesis in order to evaluate the value proposition offered by it