Compact Hydraulic Ankle-Foot Orthosis

Friday, October 28, 2011
Hall 1-2 (San Jose Convention Center)
Derick Monroy , University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Kathy Braun , University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
William Durfee , University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Generally, ankle-foot orthosis are passive devices.  In the rehabilitation of persons with diminished gait functionality, a powered orthosis aids in restoring normal locomotion of the joint by actively activating both dorsiflexion and plantarflexion.  A compact, non tethered and hydraulic powered ankle-foot orthosis has been designed using commercially available components to demonstrate the current ability to produce the torque necessary for the complete range of motion. Customized components will be utilized in future systems to increase compactness and reduce the overall weight.