Functional Design in Rehabilitation: Modular Mechanisms for Ankle Complex

This paper is aimed at presenting an innovative ankle rehabilitation device based on a parallel mechanism. A functional analysis and design are described to obtain a device able to guarantee ankle movement while patient’s body remains stationary. Human ankle is a challenging context where a series o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Francesco Aggogeri, Nicola Pellegrini, Riccardo Adamini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/9707801
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper is aimed at presenting an innovative ankle rehabilitation device based on a parallel mechanism. A functional analysis and design are described to obtain a device able to guarantee ankle movement while patient’s body remains stationary. Human ankle is a challenging context where a series of joints are highly integrated. The proposed rehabilitation device permits a patient with walking defects to improve his or her gait. The research focuses on plantar-flexion-dorsiflexion movement. The robust design starts from an accurate modelling of ankle movements during walking, assessing motion data from healthy individuals and patients. The kinematics analysis and functional evaluations lead the study and development of the articulated system. In particular, results of simulations support the effectiveness of the current design. A 3D prototype is presented highlighting that the ankle motion is successfully demonstrated.
ISSN:1176-2322
1754-2103