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Volume 6
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Article

Non-Backdrivable Wedge Cam Mechanism for a Semi-Active Two-Axis Prosthetic Ankle

by
Michael J. Greene
1,
Ivan Fischman Ekman Simões
2,
Preston R. Lewis
3,
Kieran M. Nichols
4 and
Peter G. Adamczyk
4,*
1
PA Consulting Group, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Viginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
3
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Prosthesis 2024, 6(3), 683-707; https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis6030049
Submission received: 6 May 2024 / Revised: 4 June 2024 / Accepted: 11 June 2024 / Published: 19 June 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Foot Prosthesis and Orthosis)
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Abstract

Frontal plane ankle motion is important for balance in walking but is seldom controlled in robotic prostheses. This article describes the design, control and performance of a semi-active two-degree-of-freedom robotic prosthetic ankle. The mechanism uses a non-backdrivable wedge cam system based on rotating inclined planes, allowing actuation only during swing phases for low power, light weight and compactness. We present details of the mechanism and its kinematic and mechatronic control, and a benchtop investigation of the system’s speed and accuracy in ankle angle control. The two-axis ankle achieves angular reorientation movements spanning ±10 deg in any direction in less than 0.9 s. It achieves a plantarflexion/dorsiflexion error of 0.35 ± 0.27 deg and an inversion/eversion error of 0.29 ± 0.25 deg. Backdriven motion during walking tests is negligible. Strengths of the design include self-locking behavior for low power and simple kinematic control. Two-axis ankle angle control could enable applications such as balance augmentation, turning assistance, and wearable perturbation training.
Keywords: prosthesis; ankle; non-backdrivable; inversion; plantarflexion; sagittal; frontal; two-axis; semi-active prosthesis; ankle; non-backdrivable; inversion; plantarflexion; sagittal; frontal; two-axis; semi-active

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MDPI and ACS Style

Greene, M.J.; Fischman Ekman Simões, I.; Lewis, P.R.; Nichols, K.M.; Adamczyk, P.G. Non-Backdrivable Wedge Cam Mechanism for a Semi-Active Two-Axis Prosthetic Ankle. Prosthesis 2024, 6, 683-707. https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis6030049

AMA Style

Greene MJ, Fischman Ekman Simões I, Lewis PR, Nichols KM, Adamczyk PG. Non-Backdrivable Wedge Cam Mechanism for a Semi-Active Two-Axis Prosthetic Ankle. Prosthesis. 2024; 6(3):683-707. https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis6030049

Chicago/Turabian Style

Greene, Michael J., Ivan Fischman Ekman Simões, Preston R. Lewis, Kieran M. Nichols, and Peter G. Adamczyk. 2024. "Non-Backdrivable Wedge Cam Mechanism for a Semi-Active Two-Axis Prosthetic Ankle" Prosthesis 6, no. 3: 683-707. https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis6030049

APA Style

Greene, M. J., Fischman Ekman Simões, I., Lewis, P. R., Nichols, K. M., & Adamczyk, P. G. (2024). Non-Backdrivable Wedge Cam Mechanism for a Semi-Active Two-Axis Prosthetic Ankle. Prosthesis, 6(3), 683-707. https://doi.org/10.3390/prosthesis6030049

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