PROJECT TOPICHealthcare, Assistive & Bio-Mechatronics
Prosthetic Foot with Active Ankle Control
A prosthetic biomechatronics concept studying finite-state gait phase detection, motorized ball-screw plantarflexion, and carbon fiber leaf spring energy storage to emulate biological ankle mechanics.
Active Biomimetic Gait Assistance
- ✓Injects positive mechanical energy during toe-off to reduce amputee walking effort.
- ✓Adjusts dorsiflexion angle during swing phase to prevent tripping over obstacles.
- ✓Combines carbon fiber spring compliance with compact brushless motor power.
The Engineering Challenge
Problem / Objective
Passive carbon-fiber prosthetic feet cannot inject positive push-off work, forcing amputees to expend 30% more metabolic energy walking.
Conceptual Signal Flow
System Concept
Heel/Toe Force Sensors + Ankle IMU → Gait Phase State Machine → Brushless Motor Push-Off → Swing Clearance.
Architecture Modules
1Carbon Fiber Spring Footbed
2High-Power Brushless Ball-Screw Actuator
3Heel & Toe Force Sensitive Resistors
4Gait Phase Finite-State Controller
Hardware Categories
Carbon Fiber PlateBrushless DC MotorBall ScrewFSR Sensors & 6-Axis IMU
Technologies & Software
ProstheticsFinite State MachinesBiomimetic ActuationGait KinematicsGait Phase Detection State MachineImpedance Control Loop
Engineering Considerations & Edge Cases
- Battery weight and compact packaging inside natural anatomical foot envelopes
- High shock loads on gear teeth during sudden heel impact
Applications
Transtibial amputee gait research
Active biomechatronic benchmarking
Orthotic ankle testbeds
Engineering Inquiry & Collaboration
Interested in Developing this Architecture?
Connect directly with Tamizh Tech engineers in Coimbatore to discuss mechanical fabrication, sensor selection, firmware implementation, or turnkey system commissioning.