Design of A Variable-Stiffness Ankle-Foot Orthosis Emulator
2020-08
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Design of A Variable-Stiffness Ankle-Foot Orthosis Emulator
Authors
Published Date
2020-08
Publisher
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are passive devices used to improve gait in children with cerebral palsy. They are characterized by a torsional stiffness and ankle neutral angle. For this project, a lightweight ankle exoskeleton was designed to emulate the spring-like behavior of a traditional AFO for a wide range in torsional stiffnesses and neutral angles. This was achieved by utilizing the principles of a cantilever beam to generate a desired stiffness profile and lightweight hydraulics to transmit forces from a power source worn at the waist to the device at the ankle. The proposed device was evaluated using FEA and CAD modeling and met most design requirements. The next stage of design evaluation will involve a physical prototype before the final product is implemented in a clinical trial at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.
Keywords
Description
University of Minnesota M.S.M.E. thesis. August 2020. Major: Mechanical Engineering. Advisor: William Durfee. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 59 pages.
Related to
Replaces
License
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Anderson, Rachel. (2020). Design of A Variable-Stiffness Ankle-Foot Orthosis Emulator. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/216780.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.