If a prosthesis is not fit or aligned correctly, it can affect a patient's walking patterns, resulting in an asymmetric gait. These abnormal gait patterns can increase the stress on the healthy limb, leading to problems later in life such as arthritis. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Brooke Army Medical Center are now working to improve prosthesis performance for young soldiers returning from war by perfecting a portable, wearable system that could improve prosthesis fitting. The system can measure walking patterns and can be applied to real-world activities in a variety of settings. Next, they hope to develop a gait analysis system that can be utilized outside of a confined laboratory setting.
In the process of testing the system, the researchers utilized inertial measurement units and other sensors that could be strapped onto segments of a subject's leg, such as the thigh, calf, and foot. The data collected from the IMU transfers to a computer, and algorithms calculate the motions and forces associated with specific joints.
To test the effectiveness of IMUs, the researchers used a robot leg that was programmed with data from a walking person. In a few months, they plan to test the system on a human subject with a prosthetic and healthy leg.
Future plans include the development of an advanced platform to measure the forces associated with motion, as well as a method of integrating the entire system to incorporate wireless data collection.
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Also: Learn about more advancements in prosthetics.
