New Mechanical Knee Supporter Device for Shock Absorption

Abstract

Conventional knee supporters generally reduce knee pain by restricting joint movement. In other words, there were no mechanical knee supporters that functioned powerfully. Considering this problem, we first devised a device in which a spring is inserted into the double structure of the cylinder and piston, and a braking action is applied to the piston. This mechanism retracts when the knee angle exceeds a certain level. Next, the knee and the device were modeled, and the dynamic characteristics of the device were investigated to find effective elements for knee shock absorption. Although various skeletal and muscular structures have been studied for the knee section, we kept the configuration as simple as possible to find effective elements for the device. A shock-absorbing circuit was devised, and air was used as the working fluid to facilitate smooth knee motion except during shock. Increasing the spring constant effectively reduced the knee load.

Development of Load-lifting-assist Mechanism Using Lower Limbs

“…In other words, it is desirable to install a mechanism with a damper at an intermediate position between the bar and the shoulder. Similarly, it has been found that the load on the ankle and knee joints can also be reduced by increasing the damping factor, (9,10) which suggests that the model based on shock absorbers is applicable to the human physiology.…”

“…There are multiple examples of muscle utilization that combine control engineering and ergonomics. (9,10) In this study, we demonstrated the basic structure and mechanisms of the device, analyzed the dynamic properties of certain mechanisms, and developed effective mechanical elements to lift the load. We also conducted experiments to faithfully reproduce the concept of the lifting technique.…”

Development and Evaluation of a Simple Load Lifting Technique Applying Japanese Ancient Martial Arts

“…In this paper, a simple rst-order delay control system is modeled by simulating the lifting motion of an object by a martial artist. Examples of applications of the hidden power of martial arts already exist in the eld of shock absorption and other areas, but to the authors' knowledge, none are known that are limited to lifting objects [13,14]. The simpli ed object lifting method in this paper could be applied to simpli ed lifting actions of objects in agricultural work and nursing care.…”