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Design of Human Knee Smart Prosthesis with Active Torque Control

Oscar Arteaga, Héctor C. Terán, Hernán Morales V., Edison Argüello M., María I. Erazo, Marcelo Ortiz and Jonathan J. Morales
Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Sangolquí, Ecuador

Abstract— This study presents the results of an investigation of Magnetorheological fluids used in the implementation of a knee prosthesis prototype with active movement control and stability in posture, when replacing lost muscle function for people with transfemoral amputations. A magnetorheological torque limiter was used to implement a prosthetic knee device with adjustable torque applied to the join. This was achieved by using a magnetorheological fluid (MRF) brake lord MRF – 140 CG as actuator. This prosthesis includes rotation lock, an impact attenuator to simulate the natural action of normal knee flexion, and torque regulation to provide maximum safety and a normal walking movement. The prototype has a control for the adjustment of the magnetic field applied to the MRF, thus successfully emulating human march of the prosthesis in different positions. 

Index Terms—magnetorheological fluids, smart materials, torque limiter, knee prosthesis

Cite: Oscar Arteaga, Héctor C. Terán, Hernán Morales V., Edison Argüello M., María I. Erazo, Marcelo Ortiz and Jonathan J. Morales, "Design of Human Knee Smart Prosthesis with Active Torque Control" International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 347-352, March 2020. DOI: 10.18178/ijmerr.9.3.347-352

Copyright © 2020 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.