TESTBED 6 - Fluid Power Assisted Ankle Foot Orthoses
Leader: Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler (UIUC)
Statement of Project Goals
This testbed will drive development of enabling and systems technologies from the thrust area projects, and thus provide a technology pull with respect to center projects. The initial (five-year) focus of this testbed will be the development of novel Ankle-Foot-Orthoses (AFO’s) for gait stabilization. These orthoses assist the wearer by correcting gait deviations caused by weakness or paralysis of muscle groups below the knee. The long term goal is to develop a series of prototype devices that will incorporate different technologies developed within this center. These technologies will follow an evolutionary roadmap addressing the highest priority aspects of the overall testbed first and then integrating developments from other center projects over the lifetime of the center.
Project’s Role in Support of the Strategic Plan
This testbed will severely stretch the center’s capabilities to provide fluid power systems that meet the specifications necessary for a wearable untethered system. The designed systems must be extremely compact, efficient and effective to avoid wearer rejection of the unit. This testbed will have high impact because of the number of people that could be affected by advanced orthoses.
