A kinematic model for the design of a bicondylar mechanical knee

Abstract

In this paper we present a design methodology for a bicondylar joint that mimics many of the physical mechanisms in the human knee. We replicate the elastic ligaments and sliding and rolling joint surfaces. As a result the centre of rotation and moment arm from the quadriceps changes as a function of flexion angle in a similar way to the human knee. This leads to a larger moment arm in the centre of motion, where it is most needed for high load tasks, and a smaller moment arm at the extremes, reducing the required actuator displacement. This is anticipated to improve performance:weight ratio in legged devices for tasks such as stair accent and sit-to-stand. In the design process ligament attachment positions, femur profile and ligament lengths were taken from cadaver studies. This information was then used as inputs to a simplified kinematic computer model in order to design a valid profile for a tibial condyle. A physical model was then tested on a custom built squatting robot. It was found that although ligament lengths deviated from the designed values the robot moment arm still matched the model to within 6.1% on average. This shows that the simplified model is an effective design tool for this type of joint. It is anticipated that this design, when employed in walking robots, prostheses or exoskeletons, will improve the high load task capability of these devices. In this paper we have outlined and validated a design method to begin to achieve this goal.