A magnetorheological fluid-based controllable active knee brace

Ahmadkhanlou, Farzad; Zite, Jamaal L.; Washington, Gregory

doi:10.1117/12.715902

Cited by 30 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…An MR fluid damper is also used in the development of active ankle prosthetics [72,174]. An active knee brace is presented in [79] and an MR fluid-based knee prosthesis in [78].…”

Section: Medical Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexible Medical Devices: Review of Controllable Stiffness Solutions

2017

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Abstract:In the medical field and in soft robotics, flexible devices are required for safe human interaction, while rigid structures are required to withstand the force application and accuracy in motion. This paper aims at presenting controllable stiffness mechanisms described in the literature for applications with or without shape-locking performances. A classification of the solutions based on their working principle is proposed. The intrinsic properties of these adaptive structures can be modified to change their mechanical characteristics from a geometrical point of view or equivalent elastic properties (with internal mechanisms or with a change in material properties). These solutions are compared quantitatively, based on selected criteria linked to the medical field as the stiffness range, the activation time and the working conditions. Depending on the application and its requirements, the most suitable solution can be selected following the quantitative comparisons. Several applications of these tunable stiffness structures are proposed and illustrated by examples of the literature.

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“…An MR fluid damper is also used in the development of active ankle prosthetics [72,174]. An active knee brace is presented in [79] and an MR fluid-based knee prosthesis in [78].…”

Section: Medical Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexible Medical Devices: Review of Controllable Stiffness Solutions

2017

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“…Zite et al used an MR brake in orthopedic active knee brace to provide controllable resistance [7][8]. The maximum torque produced by the MR brake is 6 Nm when the applied coil current is 4.0 A [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Experimental evaluation of an assistive knee brace with magnetorheological actuator

Chen

Liao

2010

2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics

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Magnetorheological (MR) fluid is a smart fluid, which rheological behavior can be controlled by magnetic field. Rotary devices using MR fluids have the benefits of high torque, good controllability, and low power requirement. Recently, we developed a new MR actuator and applied it to assistive knee braces. It was demonstrated that the knee brace with this MR actuator can provide proper torque under control. In this study, we evaluate the knee brace with MR actuator on three aspects: power consumption, torque output performances, and safety. A knee brace with MR actuator is compared to the knee brace without MR actuator. The power consumption for both knee braces under bending and extending processes as well as normal walking are evaluated; the force/torque controllability and output inertia of knee brace are studied; and the safety under some extreme conditions is tested.

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“…For instance, a rehabilitative knee orthosis equipped electro-rheological (ER) fluids based actuators into knee braces [6]. An orthopedic active knee brace using magneto-rheological (MR) fluids based shear damper was developed to make the knee brace have a controllable resistance [7]. Both the controllable knee braces using smart materials could work well as assistive devices in passive and semi-active means.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetorheological fluids based multifunctional actuator for assistive knee braces

Guo

Liao

2009

2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO)

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This paper is aimed to develop a new actuator used in assistive knee braces for helping elderly or disabled people to recover their mobility. In the design, magneto-rheological (MR) fluids are integrated into the actuator to provide controllable torque and improve the braking control performance. With MR fluids, the actuator possesses multiple functions as motor, clutch, and brake while meeting the requirement of normal walking as well. In this paper, design considerations including actuator configuration, magnetic circuit and influence of permanent magnet on MR fluids are discussed. Finite element model of the actuator is built and analyzed. Modeling of the actuator in different functions is presented. A prototype of the actuator is fabricated and tested. Braking torque control of the actuator is investigated. The results show that the developed multifunctional actuator is promising for assistive knee braces.

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A magnetorheological fluid-based controllable active knee brace

Cited by 30 publications

References 6 publications

Flexible Medical Devices: Review of Controllable Stiffness Solutions

Flexible Medical Devices: Review of Controllable Stiffness Solutions

Experimental evaluation of an assistive knee brace with magnetorheological actuator

Magnetorheological fluids based multifunctional actuator for assistive knee braces

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