Design and Control of a New Biomimetic Transfemoral Knee Prosthesis Using an Echo-Control Scheme

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Robotics
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Passive knee prostheses demand excessive metabolic energy, impairing natural gait.
• Existing active prostheses lack accuracy and have slow response times, limiting natural knee movement replication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and control a novel biomimetic transfemoral knee prosthesis.
• To enhance natural human walk performance by providing additional power and accurate movement mimicry.
• To develop a stable control strategy for prosthetic knee function.

Main Methods:

• Utilized body-guidance kinematics synthesis based on real human walking patterns derived from computer vision and 3D reconstruction.
• Developed and implemented an echo-control strategy synchronizing prosthesis activation with the sound leg's movement.
• Constructed and evaluated an experimental prototype on a test rig.

Main Results:

• The prosthetic knee successfully mimicked the biomechanics of the natural human knee.
• The echo-control strategy demonstrated effective synchronization and activation.
• The biomimetic design showed potential for improved gait performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed biomimetic transfemoral knee prosthesis with echo-control offers a promising advancement over current technologies.
• This approach accurately replicates natural knee movement, potentially reducing metabolic cost for users.
• Further research can optimize the control strategy for enhanced user experience and mobility.