Passive Pneumatic Prosthetic Ankle with Biomimetic Response

The Defense Health Program seeks to improve the lives of service members suffering below knee amputations through the development of a non-powered lower extremity prosthesis designed to restore range of motion and power generation to that of an uninjured anatomical ankle. Current passive systems are still in early stages of development and typically only address one aspect of what the Defense Health Program seeks: either increased range of motion or improved energy return. ADA Technologies, in collaboration with the University of Colorado Boulder proposes to develop a Passive Pneumatic Prosthetic Ankle with Biomimetic Response. This system will capture and return the walking energy of a person with a transtibial amputation using no onboard power of its own while adapting to changing terrain increasing the user`s mobility and reduce metabolic cost of using a prosthesis. The long-term goal of this research is to produce a less expensive option to powered ankle-foot systems that enhances prosthetic performance and user quality of life over currently available passive energy storage and return prosthetic systems. In Phase I, we will design, build, and test the proposed ankle-foot prosthesis with live subjects in order to demonstrate feasibility and evaluate prototype performance.