A Robotic Emulator for the Systematic Exploration of Transtibial
Biarticular Prosthesis Designs
Abstract
Introduction: People with transtibial limb loss frequently experience
suboptimal gait outcomes. This is partly attributable to the absence of
the biarticular gastrocnemius muscle, which plays a unique role in
walking. Although a recent surge of biarticular prostheses aims to
restore gastrocnemius function, the broad design space and lack of
consensus on optimal hardware and control strategies present scientific
and engineering challenges. Methods: This study introduces a robotic
biarticular prosthesis emulator, comprising a uniarticular ankle-foot
prosthesis and knee flexion exoskeleton, each actuated by a custom
off-board system. Benchtop experiments were conducted to characterize
the emulatorâ\euro™s mechatronic performance. Walking experiments with
one transtibial amputee demonstrated the systemâ\euro™s capability for
providing knee and ankle assistance. Results: The -3 dB bandwidths for
the knee exoskeletonâ\euro™s torque and motor velocity controllers
were measured at approximately 5 Hz and 100 Hz, respectively. A
feedforward iterative learning controller reduced the root-mean-squared
torque tracking error from 6.04 Nm to 0.99 Nm in hardware-in-the-loop
experiments, an 84% improvement. User-preference-based tuning yielded a
peak knee torque of approximately 20% of the estimated biological knee
moment. Conclusions: This biarticular prosthesis emulator demonstrates
significant potential as a versatile research platform that can offer
valuable insights for the advancement of lower-limb assistive devices.