Design and development of ankle-foot prosthesis with delayed release of plantarflexion.

A computer-controlled mechanism that fits a standard ankle-foot prosthesis was designed to capture the absorbed energy in the ankle and delay its release until specific times in the gait cycle. This mechanism used a direct current motor to take up and hold the compression of a carbon-fiber ankle joint. Based on the timing of the contact forces between the foot and the ground, a microprocessor released the spring at preset times later in the gait cycle.

Two-degree-of-freedom powered prosthetic wrist.

Prosthetic wrists need to be compact. By minimizing space requirements, a wrist unit can be made for people with long residual limbs. This prosthetic wrist uses two motors arranged across the arm within the envelope of the hand.