Robotic Emulation of Candidate Prosthetic Foot Designs May Enable Efficient, Evidence-Based, and Individualized...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Technology
• Prosthetics and Orthotics

Background:

• Current prosthetic foot selection lacks evidence-based guidance for optimal parameter choice.
• Individualized measurements of prosthetic foot benefits are needed for better device fitting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot test an evidence-based, personalized process for designing and selecting lower-limb prosthetic devices.
• To demonstrate the utility of a prosthetic foot emulator for individualized prosthetic fitting.

Main Methods:

• Developed a wearable robotic system, the "prosthetic foot emulator," to simulate different prosthetic feet.
• Demonstrated two personalization approaches: emulation of commercial models and prosthetist-driven parameter tuning.

Main Results:

• Significant variations in optimal prosthetic foot parameters were observed across subjects and conditions.
• A simple manual tuning procedure effectively identified preferred prosthetic foot parameters.

Conclusions:

• Emulator-based methods show promise for improving prosthetic foot prescription individualization.
• Further clinical studies are warranted to validate the approach in diverse populations.