DEVELOPMENT OF BIOMIMETIC POWERED ANKLE-FOOT PROSTHESIS WITH COMPLIANT JOINTS AND SEGMENTED FOOT

摘要

This paper presents the design of a novel powered ankle-foot prosthesis with compliant joints and segmented foot. The powered compliant ankle is proposed to replace the able-bodied ankle which can provide sufficient power to propel the body upward and forward during bipedal walking. In order to make the walking gaits of the amputees more stable and natural, we introduce segmented foot with toe joint to the prosthesis. Both the ankle and toe joints are driven by two series-elastic actuators (SEA), which not only provide enough torque, but also tolerance shocks. Preliminary experimental results show that the powered prosthesis with compliant ankle and segmented foot can reproduce the human walking gait and be easily used in walking rehabilitation.