Abstract Archive

Extensive research goes into developing assistive technology that can replicate biological function after severe lower limb trauma. The assistive technology we put on a patient can be most advantageous when we also invest in what we put in a patient. Considering the needs and challenges of the end u...

Knowledge of effective control strategies for reducing the metabolic cost of walking with active exoskeletons is limited. Here, we used a hip exoskeleton emulator to assess how stiffness and reference angle of a simplified impedance controller influence metabolic cost. In general, impedance paramete...

Powered exoskeletons could be used to greatly improve a patient’s functionality, and this is especially true if they are able to accurately predict user intent. Electromyogram (EMG) and motion capture data was recorded from three subjects (two female, one male) while performing 15 walking trials. ...

Commercially available ankle prostheses are predominantly passive-elastic devices which cannot perform positive net work, and only produce about an eighth the power of the intact plantarflexors. To address this deficit, recent research has focused on the design of devices capable of supplying additi...

Wearable devices have enormous potential to enhance human performance and health if the devices are evidence-based and developed to meet a true need. An essential ingredient in developing these novel concepts has been biomechanists working in close collaboration with colleagues in materials science ...

Traditionally, sensors used to control powered prostheses have either been incorporated into the residual limb or built into the socket that is worn by the user—no additional instrumentation is required to control the prosthesis. Minimizing instrumentation was viewed as a requirement for clinical ...