Improved Knee Brace for Polio Patients
Project number:
21026
Sponsor:
Robert Binnewies
Academic year:
2020-2021
Project Goal: Develop an improved design for the dated polio leg brace.
People who have poliomyelitis, a virus-induced disease that causes muscle atrophy, rely on orthotic devices such as knee braces to compensate for muscle weakness. The most common devices are passive and provide limited support to users. The team redesigned the passive knee brace by adding a mechanical system to assist users with motions such as sitting down and standing up from a chair, walking up a set of steps, and navigating inclines. The main goal behind this design is to support body weight and assist users with knee joint extension and flexion by reducing the pressure on the joint.
The new knee brace system consists of a spring housing assembly, compression springs, galvanized steel wire, a latching mechanism and a radial moment arm. The radial moment arm is connected to the spring housing through the galvanized steel wire and operates with the hinge on an existing brace. The latching mechanism houses a latch and a stopper that lock the spring, allowing the user to freely flex and extend the knee.
The new brace weighs approximately 1.3 kg, offers an assistive moment of at least 480 pounds-per-inch, can support a weight up to 180 pounds and allows a minimum of 90 degrees of flexion relative to the user's thigh.
People who have poliomyelitis, a virus-induced disease that causes muscle atrophy, rely on orthotic devices such as knee braces to compensate for muscle weakness. The most common devices are passive and provide limited support to users. The team redesigned the passive knee brace by adding a mechanical system to assist users with motions such as sitting down and standing up from a chair, walking up a set of steps, and navigating inclines. The main goal behind this design is to support body weight and assist users with knee joint extension and flexion by reducing the pressure on the joint.
The new knee brace system consists of a spring housing assembly, compression springs, galvanized steel wire, a latching mechanism and a radial moment arm. The radial moment arm is connected to the spring housing through the galvanized steel wire and operates with the hinge on an existing brace. The latching mechanism houses a latch and a stopper that lock the spring, allowing the user to freely flex and extend the knee.
The new brace weighs approximately 1.3 kg, offers an assistive moment of at least 480 pounds-per-inch, can support a weight up to 180 pounds and allows a minimum of 90 degrees of flexion relative to the user's thigh.
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