A preliminary investigation of powered prostheses for improved walking biomechanics in bilateral transfemoral amputees

The authors conducted a preliminary investigation of the extent to which a pair of powered prostheses can provide improved gait biomechanics in bilateral transfemoral amputee walking. Specifically, a finite state-based impedance controller for level ground walking was implemented in a pair of powered knee and ankle prostheses. The efficacy of the powered prostheses and impedance-based controllers was tested on a healthy subject using able-body adapters. Motion capture data was collected while the subject performed treadmill walking with the powered prostheses. This kinematic data is compared to that of healthy subjects, and also to previously published data for bilateral transfemoral amputee gait with passive prostheses. The comparison indicates that the powered prostheses are able to provide a walking gait that is considerably more representative of healthy biomechanical gait relative to passive prostheses.

[1]  Thomas Schmalz,et al.  Biomechanical analysis of stair ambulation in lower limb amputees. , 2007, Gait & posture.

[2]  A L Hof,et al.  Uphill and downhill walking in unilateral lower limb amputees. , 2008, Gait & posture.

[3]  Hugh M. Herr,et al.  Powered ankle-foot prosthesis to assist level-ground and stair-descent gaits , 2008, Neural Networks.

[4]  A. Esquenazi,et al.  Bilateral lower limb amputee rehabilitation. A retrospective review. , 1991, The Western journal of medicine.

[5]  Hugh M. Herr,et al.  Powered Ankle--Foot Prosthesis Improves Walking Metabolic Economy , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[6]  A. Jain,et al.  Dundee revisited — 25 years of a total amputee service , 1993, Prosthetics and orthotics international.

[7]  G Beltrami,et al.  Centre of pressure displacements in trans-femoral amputees during gait. , 2005, Gait & posture.

[8]  Michael Goldfarb,et al.  Upslope Walking With a Powered Knee and Ankle Prosthesis: Initial Results With an Amputee Subject , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.

[9]  Fan Zhang,et al.  Investigation of sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit in an above knee amputee , 2011, 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[10]  R. N. Stauffer,et al.  Normative data of knee joint motion and ground reaction forces in adult level walking. , 1983, Journal of biomechanics.

[11]  H.A. Varol,et al.  Preliminary Evaluations of a Self-Contained Anthropomorphic Transfemoral Prosthesis , 2009, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

[12]  J. Perry,et al.  Energy expenditure and gait characteristics of a bilateral amputee walking with C-leg prostheses compared with stubby and conventional articulating prostheses. , 2004, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[13]  Michael Goldfarb,et al.  Standing Stability Enhancement With an Intelligent Powered Transfemoral Prosthesis , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[14]  Richard A. Brand,et al.  The biomechanics and motor control of human gait: Normal, elderly, and pathological , 1992 .

[15]  T.G. Sugar,et al.  SPARKy 3: Design of an active robotic ankle prosthesis with two actuated degrees of freedom using regenerative kinetics , 2008, 2008 2nd IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics.