Once-per-step control of ankle-foot prosthesis push-off work reduces effort associated with balance during walking.
Journal:
Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation
Published Date:
May 1, 2015
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Individuals with below-knee amputation have more difficulty balancing during walking, yet few studies have explored balance enhancement through active prosthesis control. We previously used a dynamical model to show that prosthetic ankle push-off work affects both sagittal and frontal plane dynamics, and that appropriate step-by-step control of push-off work can improve stability. We hypothesized that this approach could be applied to a robotic prosthesis to partially fulfill the active balance requirements of human walking, thereby reducing balance-related activity and associated effort for the person using the device.