EFFICIENT DIGITAL MODELING AND FABRICATION WORKFLOW FOR INDIVIDUALIZED ANKLE EXOSKELETONS

Biruk A. Gebre, Rodrigo Nogueira, Shubham Patidar, Robert Belle-Isle, Karen Nolan, Kishore Pochiraju, Damiano Zanotto

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

We introduce a new design method to tailor the physical structure of a powered ankle-foot orthosis to the wearer's leg morphology and improve fit. We present a digital modeling and fabrication workflow that combines scan-based design, parametric configurable modeling, and additive manufacturing (AM) to enable the efficient creation of personalized ankle-foot orthoses with minimal lead-time and explicit inputs. The workflow consists of an initial one-time generic modeling step to generate a parameterized design that can be rapidly configured to customizable shapes and sizes using a design table. This step is then followed by a wearer-specific personalization step that consists of performing a 3D scan of the wearer's leg, extracting key parameters of the wearer's leg morphology, generating a personalized design using the configurable parametric design, and digital fabrication of the individualized ankle-foot orthosis using additive manufacturing. The paper builds upon the design of the Stevens Ankle-Foot Electromechanical (SAFE) orthosis presented in prior work and introduces a new, individualized structural design (SAFE II orthosis) that is modeled and fabricated using the presented digital workflow. The workflow is demonstrated by designing a personalized ankle-foot orthosis for an individual based on 3D scan data and printing a personalized design to perform preliminary fit testing. Implications of the presented methodology for the design and fabrication of future personalized powered orthoses are discussed, along with avenues for future work.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationBiomedical and Biotechnology
ISBN (Electronic)9780791885598
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021
EventASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2021 - Virtual, Online
Duration: 1 Nov 20215 Nov 2021

Publication series

NameASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings (IMECE)
Volume5

Conference

ConferenceASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2021
CityVirtual, Online
Period1/11/215/11/21

Keywords

  • Active orthoses
  • Additive manufacturing
  • Personalized afo
  • Rehabilitation robotics
  • Scan-based design

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'EFFICIENT DIGITAL MODELING AND FABRICATION WORKFLOW FOR INDIVIDUALIZED ANKLE EXOSKELETONS'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this