In a powered actuator for supplying torque, joint equilibrium, and/or impedance to a joint, a motor is directly coupled to a low-reduction ratio transmission, e.g., a transmission having a gear ratio less than about 80 to 1. The motor has a low dissipation constant, e.g., less than about 50 W/(Nm).sup.2. The transmission is serially connected to an elastic element that is also coupled to the joint, thereby supplying torque, joint equilibrium, and/or impedance to the joint while minimizing the power consumption and/or acoustic noise of the actuator.

The invention relates to a prosthesis to replace a missing extremity of a living being, which has: one or more prosthetic links driven by actuators, first sensors, which sense a current state ZUS(t) of the prosthesis; an interface to second sensors, which sense biosignals SIG.sub.BIO(t) of the living being to control the missing extremity; third sensors for sensing data D.sub.UMG(t), which describe a current environment of the prosthesis; a prediction unit, which determines, based on the biosignals SIG.sub.BIO(t) and on the state ZUS(t) of the prosthesis and of the data D.sub.UMG(t), a model MA(t) of an action A to be executed with the prosthesis and predicts motions Beweg(M.sub.A(t)), dependent on the model M.sub.A(t), of the prosthetic links for a period of time [t, t+t]; an evaluating unit, by which the discrete decision E to replace the action A with another action A(E) can be determined on the basis of an evaluation of the biosignals SIGBIO(t), of the state ZUS(t), of the data D.sub.UMG(t), and of the predicted motions B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)) in accordance with a specified evaluation scheme, wherein the action A(E) can define a reflexive motion and/or protective motion of the prosthesis that is autonomously controlled in an open-loop/closed-loop manner, and wherein, if the action A(E) does not define such a reflexive motion and/or protective motion of the prosthesis that is autonomously controlled in an open-loop/closed-loop manner, the prediction unit determines a model M.sub.A(t) of the action A to be performed by the prosthesis and predicts motions B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)), dependent on the model M.sub.A(t), of the prosthetic links for a time period [t, t+t]; and a control unit, which derives control signals Sig(t), based on the currently valid, predicted motions B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)) or B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)) or based on the reflexive and/or protective motion autonomously controlled in an open-loop/closed-loop manner, for controlling the actuators and controls/regulates the actuators based on the control signals Sig(t).

The invention relates to a prosthesis, orthosis or exoskeleton device (a bionic limb system device) for restoring lost functionality to a patient that suffers from at least partial loss of a limb, the device comprising a sound sensing system that communicates with a controller to generate a signal to control the device which can include a defined sensing element, a defined type of a sensor, of a communication interface and/or which can be insulated and/or wherein a controller can command an actuator and/or set a defined parameter. The device can be controllable by a defined sound; it can be coupled with an electrocomponent and/or mechanocomponent. A prosthesis, orthosis or exoskeleton device control method and a sonometry method are proposed.

In a powered actuator for supplying torque, joint equilibrium, and/or impedance to a joint, a motor is directly coupled to a low-reduction ratio transmission, e.g., a transmission having a gear ratio less than about 80 to 1. The motor has a low dissipation constant, e.g., less than about 50 W/(Nm).sup.2. The transmission is serially connected to an elastic element that is also coupled to the joint, thereby supplying torque, joint equilibrium, and/or impedance to the joint while minimizing the power consumption and/or acoustic noise of the actuator.

The artificial body part control system using ultrasonic imaging includes of an ultrasonic transducer coupled with an ultrasonic image analyzer which may be adapted to transmit a control signal to an artificial body part.

In a powered actuator for supplying torque, joint equilibrium, and/or impedance to a joint, a motor is directly coupled to a low-reduction ratio transmission, e.g., a transmission having a gear ratio less than about 80 to 1. The motor has a low dissipation constant, e.g., less than about 50 W/(Nm).sup.2. The transmission is serially connected to an elastic element that is also coupled to the joint, thereby supplying torque, joint equilibrium, and/or impedance to the joint while minimizing the power consumption and/or acoustic noise of the actuator.

The artificial body part control system using ultrasonic imaging includes of an ultrasonic transducer coupled with an ultrasonic image analyzer which may be adapted to transmit a control signal to an artificial body part.

In a powered actuator for supplying torque, joint equilibrium, and/or impedance to a joint, a motor is directly coupled to a low-reduction ratio transmission, e.g., a transmission having a gear ratio less than about 80 to 1. The motor has a low dissipation constant, e.g., less than about 50 W/(Nm).sup.2. The transmission is serially connected to an elastic element that is also coupled to the joint, thereby supplying torque, joint equilibrium, and/or impedance to the joint while minimizing the power consumption and/or acoustic noise of the actuator.

The invention relates to a prosthetic foot comprising a foot part, a proximal connecting means which is swiveled to the foot part and an adjustment device with which the foot part can be adjusted relative to the connecting means, at least one position sensor being associated with the adjustment device and being coupled to a signal generating element.

The invention relates to a method for generating acoustic feedback of an orthopaedic device comprising at least one electric motor (13), which has a stator (30) and a rotor (40) which can rotate about a rotational axis (50) and is coupled to a component of the orthopaedic device, which component can be moved by the electric motor (13), wherein the electric motor (13) is oscillatingly operated by repeated pole changing of at least one motor voltage, without the rotor (4) performing a complete rotation about the rotational axis (50).