Design Optimization in Lower Limb Prostheses: A Review.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Prosthetics and Orthotics

Background:

• Current lower limb prosthesis designs focus on four functional roles: body support, propulsion, task flexibility, and loading relief.
• Existing biomechanical analyses show inconsistent achievement of hypothesized outcomes with current designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a knowledge base for lower limb prosthesis design.
• To identify research pathways for optimizing biomechanical and clinical outcomes.
• To improve prediction of user performance metrics in prosthesis design.

Main Methods:

• Literature search on state-of-the-art lower limb prosthesis joint design and biomechanical analysis.
• Analysis of current design solutions against key functional roles.
• Identification of limitations in anthropomorphic design approaches and under-explored research areas.

Main Results:

• Current designs often fail to consistently achieve desired biomechanical and clinical outcomes.
• Existing designs are limited by anthropomorphic approaches that neglect post-amputation anatomy.
• The impact of prosthetic joint behavior on overall gait biomechanics and user experience is not well understood.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating predictive tools for user performance metrics can optimize prosthesis design.
• Future research should explore experimental parameterization and model-based simulations for better outcome prediction.
• Connecting simulation and experimental approaches remains a challenge for improving real-world prosthesis performance.