Energetic and Peak Power Advantages of Series Elastic Actuators in an Actuated Prosthetic Leg for Walking and Running

A monoarticular series elastic actuator (SEA) reduces energetic and peak power requirements compared to a direct drive (DD) in active prosthetic ankle-foot design. Simulation studies have shown that similar advantages are possible for the knee joint. The aims of this paper were to investigate the advantages of a monoarticular SEA-driven hip joint and to quantify the energetic benefit of an SEA-driven leg (with monoarticular hip, knee and ankle SEAs), assuming that damping (negative power) is passively achieved. The hip SEA provided minor energetic advantages in walking (up to 29%) compared to the knee and the ankle SEA. Reductions in required peak power were observed only for speeds close to preferred walking speed (18% to 27%). No energetic advantages were found in running, where a DD achieved the best performance when optimizing for energy. Using an SEA at each leg joint in the sagittal plane reduced the positive work by 14% to 39% for walking and by 37% to 75% for running. When using an SEA instead of a DD, the contribution of the three leg joints to doing positive work changed: the knee contributed less and the hip more positive work. For monoarticular SEAs, the ankle joint motor did most of the positive work.

[1]  Bram Vanderborght,et al.  Concept of a Series-Parallel Elastic Actuator for a Powered Transtibial Prosthesis , 2013 .

[2]  Antonie J. van den Bogert,et al.  Exotendons for assistance of human locomotion , 2003 .

[3]  A. J. van den Bogert.  Exotendons for assistance of human locomotion , 2003, Biomedical engineering online.

[4]  Long Wang,et al.  PANTOE 1: Biomechanical design of powered ankle-foot prosthesis with compliant joints and segmented foot , 2010, 2010 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics.

[5]  H. Beydaği,et al.  Determination of preferred walking speed on treadmill may lead to high oxygen cost on treadmill walking. , 2010, Gait & posture.

[6]  Bram Vanderborght,et al.  The AMP-Foot 2.0: Mimicking intact ankle behavior with a powered transtibial prosthesis , 2012, 2012 4th IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob).

[7]  André Seyfarth,et al.  A comparison of parallel- and series elastic elements in an actuator for mimicking human ankle joint in walking and running , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[8]  H. Herr,et al.  A Clinical Comparison of Variable-Damping and Mechanically Passive Prosthetic Knee Devices , 2005, American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation.

[9]  J. A. Hoffer,et al.  Biomechanical Energy Harvesting: Generating Electricity During Walking with Minimal User Effort , 2008, Science.

[10]  Alena M. Grabowski,et al.  Bionic ankle–foot prosthesis normalizes walking gait for persons with leg amputation , 2012, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[11]  Nobuaki Kobayashi,et al.  Control method for powered ankle prosthesis via internal model control design , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation.

[12]  S.K. Au,et al.  Powered Ankle-Foot Prosthesis for the Improvement of Amputee Ambulation , 2007, 2007 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[13]  J. Czerniecki,et al.  Kinematic and kinetic comparisons of transfemoral amputee gait using C-Leg and Mauch SNS prosthetic knees. , 2006, Journal of rehabilitation research and development.

[14]  André Seyfarth,et al.  Stiffness adjustment of a Series Elastic Actuator in an ankle-foot prosthesis for walking and running: The trade-off between energy and peak power optimization , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[15]  Richard R Neptune,et al.  The relationships between muscle, external, internal and joint mechanical work during normal walking , 2009, Journal of Experimental Biology.

[16]  Michael Günther,et al.  DEALING WITH SKIN MOTION AND WOBBLING MASSES IN INVERSE DYNAMICS , 2003 .

[17]  Shiqian Wang,et al.  Spring uses in exoskeleton actuation design , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics.

[18]  A. E. Ferris,et al.  Evaluation of a powered ankle-foot prosthetic system during walking. , 2012, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[19]  Richard R Neptune,et al.  Muscle mechanical work and elastic energy utilization during walking and running near the preferred gait transition speed. , 2006, Gait & posture.

[20]  Dominic James Farris,et al.  The mechanics and energetics of human walking and running: a joint level perspective , 2012, Journal of The Royal Society Interface.

[21]  Thomas G. Sugar,et al.  An Active Foot-Ankle Prosthesis With Biomechanical Energy Regeneration , 2010 .

[22]  Michael Goldfarb,et al.  Self-contained powered knee and ankle prosthesis: Initial evaluation on a transfemoral amputee , 2009, 2009 IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics.

[23]  Alan Hreljac,et al.  ENERGETICS AND PERCEIVED EXERTION OF LOW SPEED RUNNING AND HIGH SPEED WALKING , 2004 .

[24]  H.A. Varol,et al.  Design and control of an active electrical knee and ankle prosthesis , 2008, 2008 2nd IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics.

[25]  Matthew M. Williamson,et al.  Series elastic actuators , 1995, Proceedings 1995 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Human Robot Interaction and Cooperative Robots.