Development of bio-inspired knee joint for power assist suit

Sakai, Kohei; Kikuchi, Takehito; Abe, Isao

doi:10.1109/robio.2015.7418821

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Bioinspired Knee Joint. We developed a prototype of the joint mechanism by referring to the trajectory of the rotational center [19], as shown in Figure 2. Figure 6 shows the structure of the prototype, which consists of an upper part, a lower part, a wire rope, and a pulley.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioinspired Knee Joint for a Power-Assist Suit

Kikuchi

Sakai

Abe

2016

Journal of Robotics

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Movement of the knee joint of a human includes rolling and sliding. There also exist rotations in the frontal and horizontal planes. To assist the standing movement of a human, we developed a bioinspired knee joint and torque adjustment mechanism. We evaluated the motion, torque characteristics, and stress of the developed mechanism. This joint allows deep flexion of the knee with small resistance for both the user and the device. In addition, in spite of 33% error in deep flexion, the measured torque over less than 120 degrees fits the designed torque curve. We conducted evaluation tests for a human subject. The electromyogram (EMG) of musculus rectus femoris was measured during standing with or without the assistance. The result shows 30% and 63% reduction with the assistance from 100-degree and 80-degree knee angles, respectively. In addition, the proposed device reduced up to 80% of stress in the frontal plane during standing.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioinspired Knee Joint for a Power-Assist Suit

Kikuchi

Sakai

Abe

2016

Journal of Robotics

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“…These two ligaments get tight when the knee is extended and become less tight at joint flexion while keeping the femur and tibia bones together by preventing any relative lateral or medial movement ( Gupton and Terreberry, 2018 ). However, this ligament structure is not adequate for a stable anteroposterior motion at the joint ( Sakai et al, 2015 ). Therefore, anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments (ACL and PCL) are found within the knee joint which connect the femur and tibia while crossing each other to stabilize the anteroposterior motion ( Sakai et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Anatomy and Biomechanics Of Human Knee Jointmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this ligament structure is not adequate for a stable anteroposterior motion at the joint ( Sakai et al, 2015 ). Therefore, anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments (ACL and PCL) are found within the knee joint which connect the femur and tibia while crossing each other to stabilize the anteroposterior motion ( Sakai et al, 2015 ). This ligament structure brings a crossed four-bar mechanism with moving instantaneous center of rotation (ICR) found at the cross point of ACL and PCL that follows in an elliptical path ( Fu et al, 1993 ).…”

Section: Anatomy and Biomechanics Of Human Knee Jointmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore this design brings efficient power consumption that increases the functional lifetime of the device. Sakai et al proposes a wire-pulley mechanism for bio-inspired knee joint to be used in power assisted suits ( Sakai et al, 2015 ). The relative motion between components attached on femoral and tibial bodies is achieved by a wire rope that is connected to a pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) actuator (see Figure 6A ).…”

Section: Review On Modern Bio-inspired Knee Jointsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relative motion between components attached on femoral and tibial bodies is achieved by a wire rope that is connected to a pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) actuator (see Figure 6A ). The actuation of PAM varies the joint angle in a non-circular sliding path that incorporates the anteroposterior motion found in the human knee ( Sakai et al, 2015 ). This design concept allows a higher flexion angle and avoids the possibility of dangerous over-extension.…”

Section: Review On Modern Bio-inspired Knee Jointsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bio-Inspired Knee Joint: Trends in the Hardware Systems Development

et al. 2021

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The knee joint is a complex structure that plays a significant role in the human lower limb for locomotion activities in daily living. However, we are still not quite there yet where we can replicate the functions of the knee bones and the attached ligaments to a significant degree of success. This paper presents the current trend in the development of knee joints based on bio-inspiration concepts and modern bio-inspired knee joints in the research field of prostheses, power-assist suits and mobile robots. The paper also reviews the existing literature to describe major turning points during the development of hardware and control systems associated with bio-inspired knee joints. The anatomy and biomechanics of the knee joint are initially presented. Then the latest bio-inspired knee joints developed within the last 10 years are briefly reviewed based on bone structure, muscle and ligament structure and control strategies. A leg exoskeleton is then introduced for enhancing the functionality of the human lower limb that lacks muscle power. The design consideration, novelty of the design and the working principle of the proposed knee joint are summarized. Furthermore, the simulation results and experimental results are also presented and analyzed. Finally, the paper concludes with design difficulties, design considerations and future directions on bio-inspired knee joint design. The aim of this paper is to be a starting point for researchers keen on understanding the developments throughout the years in the field of bio-inspired knee joints.

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