Robotic lower limb prostheses have the power to revolutionize mobility by enhancing gait efficiency and facilitating movement. While several design approaches have been explored to create lightweight and energy-efficient devices, the potential of underactuation remains largely untapped in lower limb prosthetics. Taking inspiration from the natural harmony of walking, in this article, we have developed an innovative active transfemoral prosthesis. By incorporating underactuation, our design uses a single power actuator placed near the knee joint and connected to a differential mechanism to drive both the knee and ankle joints. We conduct comprehensive benchtop tests and evaluate the prosthesis with three individuals who have above-knee amputations, assessing its performance in walking, stair climbing, and transitions between sitting and standing. Our evaluation focuses on gathering position and torque data recorded from sensors integrated into the prosthesis and comparing these measurements to biomechanical data of able-bodied locomotion. Our findings highlight the promise of underactuation in advancing lower limb prosthetics and demonstrate the feasibility of our knee–ankle underactuated design in various tasks, showcasing its ability to replicate natural movement.

中文翻译：

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具有串联弹性执行器的欠驱动主动股骨假体可实现多种运动任务


机器人下肢假肢能够通过提高步态效率和促进运动来彻底改变移动性。尽管已经探索了几种设计方法来制造轻质且节能的设备，但下肢假肢的欠驱动潜力在很大程度上尚未开发。从步行的自然和谐中汲取灵感，在本文中，我们开发了一种创新的主动经股假肢。通过结合欠驱动，我们的设计使用放置在膝关节附近的单个动力执行器，并连接到差速机构来驱动膝关节和踝关节。我们对三名膝上截肢患者进行了全面的台式测试和评估假肢，评估其行走、爬楼梯以及坐立转换的性能。我们的评估重点是收集集成到假肢中的传感器记录的位置和扭矩数据，并将这些测量结果与健全运动的生物力学数据进行比较。我们的研究结果强调了欠驱动在推进下肢假肢方面的前景，并证明了我们的膝踝欠驱动设计在各种任务中的可行性，展示了其复制自然运动的能力。