SPARKy-Spring Ankle with Regenerative Kinematics

Abstract

The goal is to design the Spring Ankle with Regenerative Kinetics (SPARKy) which seeks to develop a new generation of powered prosthetic devices based on the Robotic Tendon actuator. This actuator is a lightweight motor and transmission in series with a helical spring that significantly minimizes the peak power requirement of an electric motor and total system energy. The Robotic Tendon has kinetic advantages and stores and releases energy to provide SPARKy users with 100% of required push-off power and ankle range of motion comparable to able-bodied ankle motion while maintaining a form factor that is portable to the wearer. In the second year, we developed and tested a transtibial prosthesis that supports continuous unstructured walking for up to 2.8 hours. A pilot study with 2 subjects tested the device. All components are worn and are lightweight and portable. In the third year, jogging on a treadmill was demonstrated.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA618766

Entities

People

  • Thomas Sugar

Organizations

  • Arizona State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amputees
  • Biomechanical Engineering
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Biomechanics
  • Climate Change
  • Composite Materials
  • Control Systems
  • Energy Consumption
  • Energy Storage
  • Health Services
  • Joints (Anatomy)
  • Lower Limb Amputees
  • Lower Limb Prostheses
  • Mechanics
  • Prostheses And Implants
  • Prosthetics
  • Surgical Amputations

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Care for Military Service Members and Veterans with Limb Loss or Disability.
  • Robotics and Automation.

Technology Areas

  • AI & ML
  • AI & ML - Autonomous Systems
  • Autonomy