Researchers have proposed various linkage mechanisms to connect knee and ankle joints for above-knee prosthe-ses,but most of them only offer natural walking.However,studies have shown that people assume a squatting po...Researchers have proposed various linkage mechanisms to connect knee and ankle joints for above-knee prosthe-ses,but most of them only offer natural walking.However,studies have shown that people assume a squatting posture during daily activities.This paper introduces a novel mechanism that connects the knee joint with the foot-ankle joint to enable both squatting and walking.The prosthetic knee used is the well-known 3R36,while the energy storing and return(ESAR)prosthetic foot is used for the ankle-foot joint.To coordinate knee and ankle joint movements,a six-bar linkage mechanism structure is proposed.Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed modular transfemoral prosthesis accurately mimics the motion patterns of a natural human leg during walking and squatting.For instance,the prosthesis allows a total knee flexion of more than 140°during squatting.The new prosthesis design also incorporates energy-storing mechanisms to reduce energy expenditure during walking for amputees.展开更多
文摘Researchers have proposed various linkage mechanisms to connect knee and ankle joints for above-knee prosthe-ses,but most of them only offer natural walking.However,studies have shown that people assume a squatting posture during daily activities.This paper introduces a novel mechanism that connects the knee joint with the foot-ankle joint to enable both squatting and walking.The prosthetic knee used is the well-known 3R36,while the energy storing and return(ESAR)prosthetic foot is used for the ankle-foot joint.To coordinate knee and ankle joint movements,a six-bar linkage mechanism structure is proposed.Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed modular transfemoral prosthesis accurately mimics the motion patterns of a natural human leg during walking and squatting.For instance,the prosthesis allows a total knee flexion of more than 140°during squatting.The new prosthesis design also incorporates energy-storing mechanisms to reduce energy expenditure during walking for amputees.
