Computer-aided tools can help to realize customfit products characterized by a strict interaction with human body and definitely improve quality of life, in particular of people with disabilities. The paper refers to this context and to a specific custom-fit product, the lower limb prosthesis. It presents an innovative framework centred on virtual models of the patient's body, to design and configure lower limb prosthesis, both transfemoral and transtibial. The framework integrates virtual prototyping and knowledge-based tools to support the orthopaedic technician during all the steps of the lower limb prosthesis design, suggesting rules and procedures for each task. First, the considered product is introduced, and then, the new design framework is described as well as main steps and related tools, from socket modelling to standards component selection and final prosthesis assembly. Results of preliminary experimentation and final remarks conclude the paper.

One contribution of 25 to a Theme Issue 'The virtual physiological human: integrative approaches to computational biomedicine'. This article concerns the design of lower limb prosthesis, both below and above knee. It describes a new computer-based design framework and a digital model of the patient around which the prosthesis is designed and tested in a completely virtual environment. The virtual model of the patient is the backbone of the whole system, and it is based on a biomechanical generalpurpose model customized with the patient's characteristics (e.g. anthropometric measures). The software platform adopts computer-aided and knowledge-guided approaches with the goal of replacing the current development process, mainly hand made, with a virtual one. It provides the prosthetics with a set of tools to design, configure and test the prosthesis and comprehends two main environments: the prosthesis modelling laboratory and the virtual testing laboratory. The first permits the three-dimensional model of the prosthesis to be configured and generated, while the second allows the prosthetics to virtually set up the artificial leg and simulate the patient's postures and movements, validating its functionality and configuration. General architecture and modelling/simulation tools for the platform are described as well as main aspects and results of the experimentation.

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This paper introduces a virtual laboratory to design prosthetic socket, which integrates a 3D CAD module, named Socket Modelling Assistant (SMA), specifically developed to create the socket digital model, and a CAE system to analyze the stumpsocket interaction. Software tool, named Virtual Socket Lab (VSL), is part of a knowledge-based framework to design lower limb prosthesis centered on digital models of the patient or of his/her anatomical districts. The focus of this paper is on the definition of an automatic simulation procedure to study the stump-socket interaction and validate socket design. We first introduce the new design framework and main features of VSL. Then, we present a state of art on FE models adopted for residual lower-limb and prosthetic socket during last two decades highlighting key issues. Finally, the identified procedure and the integration strategy within SMA are described as well as preliminary results of the experimentation.