Affordable, sensor-driven lower-limb prostheses remain scarce in middle-income health systems. We report the design, numerical justification, and bench validation of a semi-active transfemoral prosthesis featuring surface electromyography (EMG) contr...
This paper presents the development, modeling, and analysis of an autonomous active ankle prosthesis with two degrees of freedom (2-DoF), designed to reproduce movements in the sagittal (dorsiflexion/plantarflexion) and frontal (inversion/eversion) p...
Lower-limb prostheses have an important function to partially recover the leg movement after amputation. In order to improve the mechanical joint behavior towards a healthy human knee, compliant elements have been introduced to the active prostheses,...
The forebrain somatic sensory locus for input from sensors on the surface of an active prosthesis is an important component of the Brain Machine Interface. We now review the neuronal responses to controlled cutaneous stimuli and the sensations produc...
Background/Objectives: Lower-limb impairment can alter ankle-joint motion and reduce functional mobility during demanding locomotor tasks such as stair ascent and descent. This study presents the development and preliminary proof-of-concept evaluatio...
Soft robotics have broken the rigid wall of interaction between humans and robots due to their own definition and manufacturing principles, allowing robotic systems to adapt to humans and enhance or restore their capabilities. In this research we pro...
Background/Objectives: Stapes surgery is a well-established treatment for conductive hearing loss caused by otosclerosis, with the choice of prosthesis playing a pivotal role in audiological outcomes and safety. Heat-activated and superelastic nitino...
The integration of advanced control systems in prostheses necessitates the accurate identification of human locomotion activities, a task that can significantly benefit from EEG-based measurements combined with machine learning techniques. The main c...
Significant advances have been made in prostheses with the aim of enhancing the quality of life for transfemoral amputees. While commercially available transfemoral prostheses mainly focus on the developing passive prostheses that act only as dampers...
Background and Objectives: Proprioceptive information from natural dentition and adjacent oral tissues enables correct masticatory function, avoiding damage to the teeth. Periodontium is the main source of this relevant information, and when a tooth...
Background: Lower limb amputation affects physical function, mental health, and body image. Rehabilitation outcomes depend on both psychological adjustment and functional performance, including mobility and prosthesis satisfaction. This study aimed t...
(1) Background: Semi-active prosthetic feet can provide adaptation in different circumstances, enabling greater function with less weight and complexity than fully powered prostheses. However, determining how to control semi-active devices is still a...
Typically, the actual volume of the residual limb changes over time. This causes the prosthesis to not fit, and then pain and skin disease. In this study, a prosthetic socket was developed to compensate for the volume change of the residual limb. Usi...
Background: The use of lower limb prosthesis can impact all aspects of daily life, activities and participation. Various studies have compared the microprocessor-controlled knee (MPK) to the non-microprocessor-controlled knee (NMPK) using a variety o...
This paper focused on the implementation method and results of modifying a Raspberry Pi 4 for real-time control of brushless direct-current motors, with application in a semi-active two-axis ankle prosthesis. CANopen over EtherCAT was implemented dir...
Background/Objectives: Semi-active prosthetic feet present a promising solution that enhances adaptability while maintaining modest size, weight, and cost. We propose a semi-active Two-Keel Variable-Stiffness Foot (VSF-2K), the first prosthetic foot...
Monitoring the activities of athletes with lower-limb amputations who use running-specific prostheses is essential for evaluating their training regimes, as well as the effectiveness and mechanical fatigue wear of their prostheses over time. Recent a...
The replacement of affected blood vessels of the polymer material can cause imbalances in the blood haemostatic system. Changes in blood after the implantation of vascular grafts depend not only on the chemical composition but also on the degree of s...
Several studies have analyzed human gait data obtained from inertial gyroscope and accelerometer sensors mounted on different parts of the body. In this article, we take a step further in gait analysis and provide a methodology for predicting the mov...
Hand prostheses partially restore hand appearance and functionalities. In particular, 3D printers have provided great opportunities by simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs. The “Federica” hand is 3D-printed and equipped with a sin...
Background: Walking is a complex process that is highly automated and efficient. This knowledge is essential for the study of pathological gait. The amputation of lower limbs involves new biomechanical load and gait patterns, and injuries due to over...
Meeting the needs of persons with upper limb loss in Uganda requires an understanding of the needs and desires of the local population. The limitations of resources and accessibility for the individual gave rise to a focused design methodology for de...
Background: This scoping review systematically maps and synthesises contemporary literature on the biomechanics of active below-knee prosthetic devices, focusing on gait kinematics, kinetics, energy expenditure, and muscle activation. It further eval...
Step counts and oxygen consumption have yet to be reported during the 2-min walk test (2MWT) test in persons with lower-limb amputations (LLA). The purpose of this study was to determine step counts and oxygen consumption during the 2MWT in LLA. Thir...
Objective: Maxillofacial silicone elastomers represent a standard material in maxillofacial prosthetic applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and aesthetic properties. However, their long-term performance is limited by color degradation...
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 u...
The present study proposes a cognitive prosthesis device for face memory impairment as a proof-of-concept for the domain-specific cognitive prosthesis. Healthy subjects (n = 6) and a patient with poor face memory were enrolled. An acquaintance face r...
This study investigates hearing outcomes of stapedotomy using two different types of prostheses: manually crimped MatriX and thermally activated NiTiBOND. The primary objective was to determine whether the method of prosthesis fixation to the long pr...
(1) Background: This study investigated the feasibility of conducting a two-week “real-world” trial of the Self Grasping Hand (SGH), a novel 3D printed passive adjustable prosthesis for hand absence; (2) Methods: Single-group pilot study of nine adul...
The loss of a limb is an event that significantly affects an individual’s quality of life, with implications not only for autonomy in daily activities but also for their ability to interact with others. At the same time, current prostheses ofte...
For amputees, amputation is a devastating experience. Transfemoral amputees require an artificial lower limb prosthesis as a replacement for regaining their gait functions after amputation. Microprocessor-based transfemoral prosthesis has gained sign...
This paper proposes a novel and an affordable lower limb prosthesis to enable normal gait kinematics for trans-femoral amputees. The paper details the design of a passive prosthesis with magneto-rheological (MR) damping system and electronic control....
As the number of patients with amputations increases, research on assistive devices such as prosthetic limbs is actively being conducted. However, the development of assistive devices for patients with partial amputations is insufficient. In this stu...
Background and Objectives: The periodontium has important proprioceptive receptors that prevent teeth from using excessive occlusal forces during chewing. There are other receptors from adjacent tissues that replace periodontal ones when teeth are ex...
Arthroplasty is an orthopedic surgical procedure that replaces a dysfunctional joint by an orthopedic prosthesis, thereby restoring joint function. Upon the use of the joint prosthesis, a wearing process begins, which releases components such as tita...
About 8% of the Ecuadorian population suffers some type of amputation of upper or lower limbs. Due to the high cost of a prosthesis and the fact that the salary of an average worker in the country reached 248 USD in August 2021, they experience a gre...
This paper presents the outcomes of investigations conducted on the development procedure of a personalized prosthetic device for an adult patient. The individualization is achieved through 3D scanning, followed by semi-automated design using the Aut...
9 May 2016
Temporomandibular joint replacement (TJR) with alloplastic prosthesis has shown promising long-term results in end stage joint disorders. We present a case of young woman with painful ankylosis that where reconstructed with TJR, due to a complex mand...
Background: Use of a prosthesis to replace small hand joints, mainly in patients with degenerative osteoarthritis or with sequelae of fractures, is more and more common. As for other joints, use of a prosthesis usually leads to good functional result...
For patients too young to be fitted with an expandable prosthesis, limb salvage surgery requires other strategies. The main problems are related to the impossibility of implanting an expandable prosthesis to the residual bone growth that is much too...
Few studies have assessed active tactile sensibility in patients rehabilitated with implants. Improved knowledge about functional tactile sensibility will contribute to several clinical applications, such as protocols for immediate loading, prosthesi...
The case describes the revision of an upper ankle prosthesis because of loosening. When ankle replacement is the first choice and actual bone quality does not allow a replacement of the prosthesis, arthrodesis is the only way of reducing pain and gai...
13 April 2022
(1) Background: In this study, two types of implants were compared—a conventional hip stem and a femoral neck prosthesis. (2) Methods: The femoral neck prosthesis study group included 21 patients, while the conventional hip stem control group w...
In recent years, although resin composite has played an important role in the restoration of tooth defects, it still has several disadvantages, including being biodegraded by saliva, bacteria and other enzymes in the oral cavity, which may result in...
Globally, 2.5% of upper limb amputations are transhumeral, and both mechanical and electronic prosthetics are being developed for individuals with this condition. Mechanics often require compensatory movements that can lead to awkward gestures. Elect...
Zirconia is a very popular material among implants and prosthesis, due to its antibacterial activity, corrosion resistance and hardness properties [...]
There are currently limited data on how prosthetic devices are used to support lower-limb prosthesis users in their free-living environment. Possessing the ability to monitor a patient’s physical behaviour while using these devices would enhance our...
Loss of an upper limb exerts a negative influence on an individual’s ability to perform their activities of daily living (ADLs), reducing quality of life and self-esteem. A prosthesis capable of performing basic ADLs functions has the capabilit...
The rise in popularity of the Paralympics in recent years has created a need for effective, low-cost sports-prosthetic devices for upper-limb amputees. There are various opportunities for lower-limb amputees to participate in cycling; however, there...
Every year, worldwide, millions of people suffering from joint pain undergo joint replacement. For most patients, joint arthroplasty reduces pain and improve function, though a small fraction will experience implant failure. One of the main reasons i...
of 6