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A biomimicking design for mechanical knee joints

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Vaidyanathan Bioinsp Biomim 13 1-13 2018.pdfPublished version2.08 MBAdobe PDFView/Open
Title: A biomimicking design for mechanical knee joints
Authors: Russell, F
Zhu, Y
Hey, W
Vaidyanathan, R
Ellison, P
Item Type: Journal Article
Abstract: In this paper we present a new bioinspired bicondylar knee joint that requires a smaller actuator size when compared to a constant moment arm joint. Unlike existing prosthetic joints, the proposed mechanism replicates the elastic, rolling and sliding elements of the human knee. As a result, the moment arm that the actuators can impart on the joint changes as function of the angle, producing the equivalent of a variable transmission. By employing a similar moment arm—angle profile as the human knee the peak actuator force for stair ascent can be reduced by 12% compared to a constant moment arm joint addressing critical impediments in weight and power for robotics limbs. Additionally, the knee employs mechanical 'ligaments' containing stretch sensors to replicate the neurosensory and compliant elements of the joint. We demonstrate experimentally how the ligament stretch can be used to estimate joint angle, therefore overcoming the difficulty of sensing position in a bicondylar joint.
Issue Date: 1-Sep-2018
Date of Acceptance: 16-Jul-2018
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/62796
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/aad39d
ISSN: 1748-3182
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Journal / Book Title: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics
Volume: 13
Copyright Statement: © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
Sponsor/Funder: Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (E
Funder's Grant Number: EP/K503381/1
EP/R511547/1
Keywords: Science & Technology
Technology
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Robotics
Engineering
Materials Science
biomimetics
biomechanics
robotics
ligaments
above knee prostheses
condylar knee
lower limb
CRUCIATE LIGAMENTS
POWER KNEE
C-LEG
EXTENSION
FLEXION
02 Physical Sciences
06 Biological Sciences
09 Engineering
Physiology
Publication Status: Published
Open Access location: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-3190/aad39d/meta
Article Number: ARTN 056012
Online Publication Date: 2018-07-16
Appears in Collections:Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering