A prosthetic socket with active volume compensation for amputated lower limb

Jihyeon Seo, Hyukjin Lee, Dong Wook Seo, Dongkyu Lee, Ohwon Kwon, Moon Kyu Kwak, Kang Ho Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Typically, the actual volume of the residual limb changes over time. This causes the prosthesis to not fit, and then pain and skin disease. In this study, a prosthetic socket was developed to compensate for the volume change of the residual limb. Using an inflatable air bladder, the proposed socket monitors the pressure in the socket and keeps the pressure distribution uniform and constant while walking. The socket has three air bladders on anterior and posterior tibia areas, a latching type 3-way pneumatic valve and a portable control device. In the paper, the mechanical properties of the air bladder were investigated, and the electromagnetic analysis was performed to design the pneumatic valve. The controller is based on a hysteresis control algorithm with a closed loop, which keeps the pressure in the socket close to the initial set point over a long period of time. In experiments, the proposed prosthesis was tested through the gait simulator that can imitate a human’s gait cycle. The active volume compensation of the socket was successfully verified during repetitive gait cycle using the weight loads of 50, 70, and 90 kg and the residual limb model with a variety of volumes. It was confirmed that the pressure of the residual limb recovered to the initial state through the active control. The pressure inside the socket had a steady state error of less than 0.75% even if the volume of the residual limb was changed from −7% to +7%.

Original languageEnglish
Article number407
Pages (from-to)1-17
Number of pages17
JournalSensors
Volume21
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Jan 2021

Keywords

  • 3-way pneumatic valve
  • Active control
  • Air bladder
  • Air flow
  • Lower limb prosthesis
  • Prosthetic socket
  • Volume compensation

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