A prosthetic knee for active users has a locking head generally parallel to a vertical axis of the prosthetic knee, a chassis, and a plurality of links connecting the locking head to the chassis. The knee includes a swing control mechanism having a flexion stop connected to the chassis and arranged to control the flexion angle of the knee. The flexion stop extends outwardly from the chassis and obliquely relative to the vertical axis. The knee has an audible feedback mechanism for providing the user with information about the location of the knee. The knee may also have a block lock forming a manually activated mechanism allowing load bearing in a flexed position.

A traction system for an ambulatory support such as a prosthetic foot blade or a crutch includes a sole plate, a latch assembly, and a strap. The sole plate is couplable to a distal end of the ambulatory support to extend under a bottom side of the ambulatory support and a latch assembly. The latch assembly includes a front catch and a rear catch both fixable at a top side of the ambulatory support with the front catch nearer to the distal end of the ambulatory support than the rear catch, and a lever having a front end and a rear end, the front end releasably latchable to the front catch and the rear end releasably latchable to the rear catch when the lever is pivoted about the latched front end. The strap is secured to the lever and to the sole plate.

A prosthetic joint and a method of controlling dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the hydraulic prosthetic ankle joint. The method includes generating ground reaction forces with a hydraulic prosthetic ankle, wherein the prosthetic hydraulic ankle comprises a first chamber and a second chamber, and the ankle is connected to a prosthetic foot; rotating the prosthetic foot in response to the ground reaction force; transferring fluid between the forward and rear chambers in response to rotation of the foot; providing a feature to occlude or partially occlude the fluid transfer between chambers; providing a non-electronic mechanism for controlling the flow responsive to both a position of the joint and a rate of change of position of the joint, and wherein the mechanism is arranged such that a dwell at a particular joint location or locations will occlude the flow path.

A securing apparatus for a prosthetic leg including a belt strap, a pair of hook and loop fasteners disposed on the belt strap, and a pair of top attachment loops attached to the belt strap. A sled-shaped support attachment includes a flattened base portion, a pair of support extensions, and a pair of bottom attachment loops. Each of a right ratchet strap and a left ratchet strap of a pair of ratchet straps has an upper spring-loaded clip and a lower spring-loaded clip. The upper spring-loaded clip of each of the right ratchet strap and the left ratchet strap is attachable to the right top attachment loop and the left top attachment loop, respectively. The lower spring-loaded clip of each of the right ratchet strap and the left ratchet strap is attachable to a right bottom attachment loop and a left bottom attachment loop, respectively, of the support attachment.

An attachment system for use with a prosthetic device includes a first component including a first surface, and further including one of a channel and a projection disposed on an opposite side of the first component than the first surface. A second component including a second surface, and including the other of the channel and the projection disposed on an opposite side of the second component than the second surface, the other slidably engaging the channel or the projection to selectively couple the first component and the second component together. One of the first surface and the second surface is operable to be attached to the prosthetic device, and the other is operable to be attached to a sole structure having a ground-engaging surface.

A magnetic and electrical interface that may be used with an assistive device. The interface comprises a proximal connector and a distal connector. The proximal connector may be attached to a liner for a residual limb and the distal connector may be attached to a hard socket or other aspect of an assistive device. Other aspects of and uses for the connector interface are also disclosed.

A planar torsion spring has outer and inner hubs connected by a set of beams that are capable of bending to provide torsional compliance when the outer hub is rotated with respect to the inner hub. Each beam is fixed to the outer hub at one end and is attached to the inner hub at its other end by a pin and slot. Slots may be curved. The spring is capable of deflecting to ±

[00001]$\frac{\pi }{6}$

radians and providing 100 N.Math.m of torque. Bearings may be located at the interface between each pin and slot. Beams may have variable width. In a method of fabrication, the design dimensions, material, and slot geometry of the planar torsion spring can be parameterized to design springs that meet specific requirements for different applications. In addition to quantifying performance, the models provide the foundation for further weight, efficiency, and performance optimization.

A high torque active mechanism for an orthotic and/or prosthetic joint using a primary brake which can be provide by magnetorheological (MR) rotational damper incorporating and an additional friction brake mechanism driven by the braking force generated by the MR damper. This combination of MR damper and friction brake mechanism allows an increase in torque density while keeping the same level of motion control offered by the MR damper alone. The increased torque density achieved by this high torque active mechanism allows to minimize the size of the actuating system, i.e. its diameter and/or breath, while maximizing its braking torque capability. In this regard, the friction brake mechanism is advantageously positioned around the MR damper, such that the dimension of the package is minimized.

A prosthetic or orthotic device includes a body configured to support at least a portion of a human limb of a user wearing the prosthetic or orthotic device. The device can also include a shock absorption member coupled to the body. The shock absorption member includes one or more magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) springs disposed between a first portion of the body and a second portion of the body. The one or more MRE springs are selectively actuatable to vary a stiffness of the shock absorption member via the application of a magnetic flux, thereby adjusting a stiffness of the body of the prosthetic or orthotic device to a level corresponding to an activity level of the user.

A method and apparatus for enhancing the operation of leg prothesis is provided. The apparatus includes a cable configured to be attached to the leg prosthesis worn by a subject to move through a plurality of gait phases. The apparatus also includes a module configured to be mounted to the leg prosthesis. The module includes a tension spring configured to engage the cable to maintain tension in the cable. The module also includes a locking mechanism configured to lock a position of the tension spring and maintain a length of the cable defined between the module and the leg prosthesis during at least one first gait phase of the plurality of gait phases. The locking mechanism is further configured to unlock the position of the tension spring to permit variation of the length of the cable during at least one second gait phase of the plurality of gait phases.