| Description |
The Ankle-Foot Simulator (AFS) developed at the University of Utah currently uses a single segment foot model to reproduce gait trajectories. This foot design limits the AFS performance and introduces errors while reproducing gait trajectories. These limitations affect the ability to study footwear, flooring, and perturbations using the AFS. A single-segment foot model is commonly used in gait analysis; however, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that a multisegment foot provides greater fidelity and accuracy in both kinematics and kinetics during gait. The goal of this research is to create a multisegment foot for the AFS that better represents natural foot biomechanics during the entire stance phase. The foot kinematics of 13 pediatric subjects were studied to design a new foot for the AFS. A foot was designed to be 3D printed in three configurations with varying infill densities. The results obtained using the AFS suggest that these new feet produce more representative ground reaction forces during gait and could provide improvements to the AFS to better represent foot kinematics. This structure improved the accuracy of the gait kinematics and kinetics on the AFS. Not only does this foot improve the performance of the AFS, but it may also provide additional inspiration for improved prosthetic foot designs in the future. |
