An electrohydraulic actuated ankle foot orthosis to generate force fields and to test proprioceptive reflexes during human walking.

The control of human walking can be temporarily modified by applying forces to the leg. To study the neural mechanisms underlying this adaptive capacity, a device delivering controlled forces and high-velocity displacements to the ankle was designed. A new solution, involving a closed circuit hydraulic system composed of two cylinders (master-slave) mutually connected by hoses and controlled by an electric motor was preferred over classical mechanical/electrical approaches.