Weight Activated Knee Locking Mechanism

Competitive Advantages:

• Method of alleviating asymmetric gait experienced by transfemoral amputees
• Design allows for both rotational and translational motion
• Knee design mimics the human knee
• Inexpensive design

Summary:

Our inventors have come up with a passive knee locking mechanism that uses the position of the shank and the weight of the user to lock it in place. The mechanism has translational motion, which allows the shank to move linearly in the sagittal plane. This locks and unlocks the knee, as well as rotational motion to allow for swinging of the device when the user is moving forward. When the heel strikes the ground, the stopper in the front plate of the knee positions the shank in a straight position. When the user applies their weight for initiating stance phase, the knee block traverses up the path and spur gear meshes with the matching rack, locking the knee. This invention was developed to be a knee mechanism that incorporates both linear motion and rotary motion of the shank. With the intention to mimic the natural kinematics of the knee, this technology may serve as a precursor for both active and passive biologically inspired transfemoral prosthetic knee designs.

Illustration of weight activated knee locking mechanism

Desired Partnerships:

• License
• Sponsored Research
• Co-Development