Project Description
The team was tasked with creating an exoskeleton device that would help improve the gait of individuals with equinus. Equinus is a condition in which an individual suffers from restricted ankle motion, often leading to an inefficient “toe-walking” pattern, where the patient walks on the balls of the feet. The exoskeleton device the team created assisted in re-distributing weight across the foot, and provided a propulsive force to help the patient walk. The team designed an appropriate drive system to provide propulsion and designed the device to allow for adjustment for a range of equinus severities.
The equinus assistive exoskeleton designed by our team provides propulsion to the foot by rotating a footplate via a pulley and cable system. It is controlled using a timed walking method that provides assistance at the propulsive phase of the gait cycle.
The following figure shows the final exoskeleton designed by our team.
