A digital workflow for personalized design of the interface parts integrated in a powered ankle foot orthosis (PAFO).

The use of actuated exoskeletons in gait rehabilitation increased significantly in recent years. Although most of these exoskeletons are produced with a generic cuff, at the foot and ankle there are a lot of bony prominences and a limited amount of soft tissue, making it less comfortable . Furthermore, a proper alignment of the actuation systems is essential for the correct functioning of the exoskeleton.

Evaluation of the influence of cyclic loading on a laser sintered transtibial prosthetic socket using Digital Image Correlation (DIC).

People with a transtibial amputation worldwide rely on their prosthetic socket to regain their mobility. Patient comfort is largely affected by the weight and strength of these prosthetic sockets. The use of additive manufacturing could give the prosthetist a range of new design possibilities when designing a prosthetic socket.

Using a texture analyser to objectively quantify foot orthoses.

Background And Aim: Foot orthoses alter the kinematics and kinetics in gait. With the increasing importance of evidence based practice and with the permanent development of subtractive manufacturing and introduction of additive manufacturing, there is a growing need for quantification of orthoses parameters. We describe a measurement method and protocol to quantify different parameters of a foot orthosis.

Assessment of transfemoral amputees using a passive microprocessor-controlled knee versus an active powered microprocessor-controlled knee for level walking.

Background: In transfemoral (TF) amputees, the forward propulsion of the prosthetic leg in swing has to be mainly carried out by hip muscles. With hip strength being the strongest predictor to ambulation ability, an active powered knee joint could have a positive influence, lowering hip loading and contributing to ambulation mobility. To assess this, gait of four TF amputees was measured for level walking, first while using a passive microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee (P-MPK), subsequently while using an active powered microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee (A-MPK).

Gait assessment during the initial fitting of customized selective laser sintering ankle foot orthoses in subjects with drop foot.

Background: Recently, additive fabrication has been proposed as a feasible engineering method for manufacturing of customized ankle foot orthoses (AFOs). Consequently, studies on safety, comfort and effectiveness are now carried out to assess the performance of such devices.

Objective: Evaluate the clinical performance of customized (selective laser sintering) SLS-AFOs on eight subjects with unilateral drop foot gait and compare to clinically accepted (polypropylene) PP-AFOs.