Year: 2002
Type: dissertation
Abstract: For trans-femoral amputees the energy expenditure required for ambulation is significantly greater than that required for non-amputated individuals.The Leg Laboratory at MIT, in conjunction with Ossur, has developed an autoadaptive, electronic, magnetorheological (MR) prosthetic knee (Rheo) to address this problem.Unlike currently available prosthetic knee technologies that utilize hydraulic valves, the Rheo controls knee damping by adjusting magnetic field strength through the modulation of electromagnetic current.A study at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital with eight established unilateral trans-femoral amputees was conducted to test the hypothesis that MR technology improves metabolic economy.The Rheo and the electronic, hydraulic based C-LEG were compared along three axes-metabolic cost, kinematics and kinetics, and muscle activity.A significant metabolic improvement using the Rheo was found, although evaluation of the speculated mechanisms for energy conservation was inconclusive.The results are encouraging in that the Rheo knee promises to enable unilateral trans-femoral amputees to lead more active lives.GAIT CYCLE ........
Author: Sneha Thakkar
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2282501710