Biomechanical Evaluation of Stair Ambulation Using Impedance Control on an Active Prosthesis

Active prostheses can provide net positive work to individuals with amputation, offering more versatility across locomotion tasks than passive prostheses. However, the effect of powered joints on bilateral biomechanics has not been widely explored for ambulation modes different than level ground and treadmill walking. In this study, we present the bilateral biomechanics of stair ascent and descent with a powered knee-ankle prosthesis compared to the biomechanical profiles of able-bodied subjects at different configurations of stair height between 102 mm and 178 mm. In addition, we include reference profiles from users with passive prostheses for the nominal stair height of 152 mm to place our findings in relation to the typical solution for individuals with transfemoral amputation (TFA). We report the biomechanical profiles of kinematics, kinetics, and power, together with temporal and waveform symmetry and distribution of mechanical energy across the joints. We found that an active prosthesis provides a substantial contribution to mechanical power during stair ascent and power absorption during stair descent and gait patterns like able-bodied subjects. The active prosthesis enables step-over-step gait in stair ascent. This translates into a lower mechanical energy requirement on the intact side, with a 57% reduction of energy at the knee and 26% at the hip with respect to the passive prosthesis. For stair descent, we found a 28% reduction in the negative work done by the intact ankle. These results reflect the benefit of active prostheses, allowing the users to complete tasks more efficiently than passive legs. However, in comparison to able-bodied biomechanics, the results still differ from the ideal patterns. We discuss the limitations that explain this difference and suggest future directions for the design of impedance controllers by taking inspiration from the biological modulation of the knee moment as a function of the stair height.