5 accepted papers
Amputation at the above-knee level severely impairs the ability of an individual to ambulate. As ambulation requires power generation and active control of movements, the passive nature of most available leg prostheses is a major cause of the observed deficits. Powered prostheses aim to address this
We present a novel powered knee prosthesis with an active variable transmission (AVT) that adapts motor torque and speed output based on the requirements of different ambulation activities. The AVT works in combination with a spring/damper system to allow for both active and passive operation modes.…
Powered ankle-foot prostheses must provide high power and torque while satisfying stringent size and weight requirements. Previous works have focused on improving the prosthesis torque/weight ratio with novel actuation systems such as series and parallel elastic actuators, clutchable leverages, and…
In this paper we present the design and characterization of a novel Passive Variable Stiffness Joint (pVSJ). pVSJ is the proof of concept of a passive revolute joint with controllable variable stiffness. The current design is intended to be a bench-test for future development towards applications in…
Variable stiffness actuators (VSA) are fostered in robotics for their capability to address physical interaction with a physically adjustable compliance, being advantageous in terms of efficiency, safety and adaptability to unknown environments. Here we introduce the concept of a switching VSA (sVSA…