Various aspects of the present disclosure characterize apparatuses and/or methods as may be implemented with a variety of prosthetic components and applications. As may be consistent with one or more embodiments described herein, respective manipulators are operable and/or operate to manipulate a prosthetic foot component about respective (e.g., separate) axes. A sensor circuit senses movement characteristics of the prosthetic foot component (e.g., movement, surroundings, and/or load applied due to movement). The manipulators operate with the sensor circuit to manipulate the prosthetic foot component about the axes in response to the sensed movement characteristics indicating that the prosthetic foot component is elevated over a surface.

The present invention provides a detection device for detecting a load and moment and capable of increasing the output by a strain gage. The detection device is provided with a characteristic sensor block. The sensor block includes a base having an axis extending in the direction of a load to be detected, a front side wall raised from the base at a position offset from the axis of the base, a rear side wall raised from the base at a position offset from the axis of the base in the direction opposite the front side wall, and an upper wall for connecting the upper end of the front side wall and the upper end of the rear side wall. The sensor block supports each strain gauge on the upper surface of the upper wall. The upper wall includes a center portion located at the center between the front side wall and the rear side wall, a first portion located between the center portion and the front side wall, and a second portion located between the center portion and the rear side wall. The first portion and the second portion, which support the strain gauges, have a smaller thickness than the center portion and are relatively easily deformed or strained.

The present invention provides a detection device for detecting a load and moment and capable of increasing the output by a strain gage. The detection device is provided with a characteristic sensor block. The sensor block includes a base having an axis extending in the direction of a load to be detected, a front side wall raised from the base at a position offset from the axis of the base, a rear side wall raised from the base at a position offset from the axis of the base in the direction opposite the front side wall, and an upper wall for connecting the upper end of the front side wall and the upper end of the rear side wall. The sensor block supports each strain gauge on the upper surface of the upper wall. The upper wall includes a center portion located at the center between the front side wall and the rear side wall, a first portion located between the center portion and the front side wall, and a second portion located between the center portion and the rear side wall. The first portion and the second portion, which support the strain gauges, have a smaller thickness than the center portion and are relatively easily deformed or strained.

The invention relates to a method and a device for generating a vibration pattern in a person, having a drive which sets a mass in rotation, and at least one sensor device which is coupled to a controller which controls the drive as a function of sensor data over the sensor device. The mass (m) is arranged in a homogeneously concentric fashion around its rotational axis (10), and an interface (20) transmits to the person reaction forces from the mass which arise owing to the change in the rotation.

A system for control of a prosthetic device includes at least one Inertial Measurement Unit detecting orientation of a user's foot. The at least one Inertial Measurement Unit is in communication with a device module configured to command at least one actuator of a prosthetic device. The at least one Inertial Measurement unit sends output signals related to orientation of the user's foot to the device module and the device module controls the at least one actuator of the prosthetic device based on the signals from the at least one Inertial Measurement Unit.

A system for control of a prosthetic device includes at least one Inertial Measurement Unit detecting orientation of a user's foot. The at least one Inertial Measurement Unit is in communication with a device module configured to command at least one actuator of a prosthetic device. The at least one Inertial Measurement unit sends output signals related to orientation of the user's foot to the device module and the device module controls the at least one actuator of the prosthetic device based on the signals from the at least one Inertial Measurement Unit.

A prosthetic foot assembly is disclosed. The assembly includes a pivoting ankle joint with a hydraulic system, a prosthetic foot connected to the distal side of the ankle joint, and, at the proximal side, the ankle joint includes a transducer with pyramid adaptor for attaching to a pylon. The ankle joint sensor provides data collection during the stance and optionally, the swing, phases of walking using, for example, strain gages and accelerometers. Also disclosed are methods for real-time feature extraction. Key parameters are captured to which are applied linear, fuzzy logic, neural net, or generic algorithms to determine current state (walking flat, uphill, downhill etc.) in real time and execute changes to the angle between the ankle and foot almost instantaneously based on those parameters.

A prosthesis or an orthosis and method of operating the same. The prosthesis or orthosis comprising a moveable component, a motor operable to move the component, wherein the motor has at least one operating parameter, the application of which to the motor results in the component having at least one operating condition; and an electronic device operable to: determine at least one operating parameter of the motor and determine at least one instantaneous operating condition of the component from a predetermined operating profile of the motor and component and the determined at least one operating parameter of the motor, the predetermined operating profile of the motor and component being based on one or more operating parameter inputs to the motor and one or more resulting operating condition outputs of the component.

A prosthetic or orthotic device has an elongate frame that houses electronics and an actuator rotatably mounted to the frame. The actuator can rotate in an anterior-posterior direction about a medial-lateral axis and includes magnetorheological (MR) fluid and a coil operable to selectively apply a magnetic field to the MR fluid to vary its viscosity and thereby vary a torsional resistance of the actuator about the medial-lateral axis. Circuitry controls an amplitude and a direction of a current applied to the coil. The circuitry can switch a direction of current passing through the coil, and to apply a reverse direction current pulse to the coil to reduce a time period over which a resistive torque of the actuator decreases to a baseline resistance amount.

A prosthetic or orthotic device has an elongate frame that houses electronics and an actuator rotatably mounted to the frame. The actuator can rotate in an anterior-posterior direction about a medial-lateral axis and includes magnetorheological (MR) fluid and a coil operable to selectively apply a magnetic field to the MR fluid to vary its viscosity and thereby vary a torsional resistance of the actuator about the medial-lateral axis. Circuitry controls an amplitude and a direction of a current applied to the coil. The circuitry can switch a direction of current passing through the coil, and to apply a reverse direction current pulse to the coil to reduce a time period over which a resistive torque of the actuator decreases to a baseline resistance amount.