Replacement of an active metatarsophalangeal joint with a passive spring-damper system for implementation in an ankle prosthesis

Analytical modeling was used to determine the optimal configuration of a replacement metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint to be used in a prosthetic ankle. A spring was added to the joint to store energy and release it during the part of the gait cycle where the highest torque is required, reducing the torque the motor must exert. A linear spring-damper system adapted for use on a rotational joint was found to exhibit similar behavior to the biological joint for the range of motion required. The optimal gear ratio for the ankle motor, spring constant, and damping constant for the MTP joint were found using a MATLAB program written for this purpose. A physical prototype was fabricated, and testing was performed on an Instron machine to validate the results.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Kline, Eric S

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Hugh Herr.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/105695

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/105695