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Ankle Impedance And Ankle Angles During Step Turn And Straight Walk: Implications For The Design Of A Steerable Ankle-Foot Prosthetic Robot, Evandro M. Ficanha

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

During locomotion, turning is a common and recurring event which is largely neglected in the current state-of-the-art ankle-foot prostheses, forcing amputees to use different steering mechanisms for turning, compared to non-amputees. A better understanding of the complexities surrounding lower limb prostheses will lead to increased health and well-being of amputees. The aim of this research is to develop a steerable ankle-foot prosthesis that mimics the human ankle mechanical properties. Experiments were developed to estimate the mechanical impedance of the ankle and the ankles angles during straight walk and step turn. Next, this information was used in the design of a …