Prosthetic and/or orthotic devices (PODS), control systems for PODS and methods for controlling PODS are provided. As part of the control system, an inference layer collects data regarding a vertical and horizontal displacement of the POD, as well as an angle of the POD with respect to gravity during a gait cycle of a user of the POD. A processor analyzes the data collected to determine a locomotion activity of the user and selects one or more control parameters based on the locomotion activity. The inference layer may be situated between a reactive layer control module and a learning layer control module of the control system architecture.

A prosthetic ankle includes a pair of prosthetic members movably coupled together to allow movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another. A hydraulic actuator or damper including hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic chamber is coupled to one of the pair of prosthetic members. A hydraulic piston is movably disposed in the hydraulic chamber and coupled to another of the pair of prosthetic members. A hydraulic flow channel is fluidly coupled between opposite sides of the chamber to allow hydraulic fluid to move between the opposite sides of the chamber as the hydraulic piston moves therein. A voice coil valve is coupled to the hydraulic flow channel to vary resistance to flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel, and thus movement of the piston in the chamber, and thus influencing a rate of movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another.

An actuator includes a plurality of power transmitters configured to transmit power sequentially, and an elastic element configured to connect a first power transmitter and a second power transmitter that are adjacent to each other and perform a coaxial rotation motion, among the plurality of power transmitters.

Described here are prosthetic systems, devices, and methods of use therefor. Generally, a prosthesis may be configured to set a resistance to rotation of a prosthetic joint based on a phase of gait. The prosthesis may include a first cylinder, a first piston slidable within the first cylinder, a fluid sump, and a fluid circuit. The fluid circuit may include a plurality of interconnected fluid channels having a unidirectional variable-resistance valve and a set of check valves that are configured to provide unidirectional flow through the valve during piston compression and extension.

A method for controlling an orthopedic joint of a lower extremity in at least one degree of freedom by an adjustable actuator for adjusting an orthopedic apparatus to walking situations that differ from walking on a plane. The orthopedic apparatus comprises top connecting members to connect to a limb, and an orthopedic element that is hingedly arranged distal to the connecting members. The method includes sensing, with sensors, several parameters of the orthopedic apparatus; comparing the sensed parameters with criteria that have been established based on several parameters and/or parameter curves and are stored in a computer unit; selecting a criterion that is suitable on the basis of the determined parameters and/or parameter curves; and adjusting resistances to movements, extents of movements, driving forces, and/or the progresses thereof in accordance with the selected criterion in order to control special functions that differ from walking on a plane.

A prosthetic arm apparatus including a plurality of segments that provide a user of the prosthetic arm apparatus with substantially the same movement capability and function as a human arm. The segments are connectable to one another and connectable to a prosthetic support apparatus that may be adorned by the user. A prosthetic limb segment includes a housing having an input interface and an output interface, the output interface and the input interface being moveable with respect to one another, a motorized drive disposed within the housing, the motorized drive effecting movement of at least one of the output interface or the input interface, and a controller disposed within the housing for controlling actuation of the motorized drive. The controller may be configured to communicate with at least a second motorized drive of at least a second prosthetic limb segment to control actuation thereof.

A powered prosthetic thigh can have a proximal portion configured to couple to a prosthetic hip socket and can have a distal portion attached to the proximal portion. The distal portion can have a distal connector configured to couple to a prosthetic knee. The powered prosthetic thigh can also have a computer controlled actuator configured to rotate the prosthetic thigh relative to the prosthetic hip socket.

Prosthesis including prosthetic links driven by actuators, first sensors that sense current state ZUS(t); second sensors that sense biosignals SIG.sub.BIO(t); third sensors that sense data D.sub.UMG(t); processing device; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processing device, perform operations including: determining based on SIG.sub.BIO(t), ZUS(t), and D.sub.UMG(t), model M.sub.A(t) of an action A, and predicting motions B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)), dependent on M.sub.A(t) for a time period; determining a decision E to replace A with an action A(E) based on SIG.sub.BIO(t), ZUS(t), D.sub.UMG(t), and B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)) according to an evaluation scheme, wherein A(E) can define a reflexive and/or protective motion, and if A(E) does not define the reflexive and/or protective motion, then determining model M.sub.A(t) of A(E) and predicting motions B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)), dependent on M.sub.A(t), for the time period; deriving control signals Sig(t) based on B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)) or B.sub.eweg(M.sub.A(t)), or based on the reflexive and/or protective motion, and controlling/regulating the actuators based on Sig(t).

The present disclosure provides for a device and method of control for an artificial prosthetic knee. A prosthetic knee according to the present disclosure relies on strictly passive means of providing support during weight bearing and supplements a resistive swing-phase mechanism with a small powered actuator. This actuator adds power to the knee, exclusively during swing phase, to improve swing-phase behavior. In particular, the knee still relies on the resistive swing-phase mechanism to provide nominal swing-phase knee motion, but supplements that motion as needed with the small powered actuator.

An assistance device is described to assist a joint motion of a lower limb. The assistance device includes a driving part, an elastic part, and a crank mechanism. The driving part includes a motor and a transmission mechanism to change a speed of the motor and converts a rotational motion of the motor into a linear motion. The elastic part includes at least: a series spring provided in series between the transmission mechanism and the crank mechanism, a first parallel spring provided between the driving part and the ankle part, and a second parallel spring provided between the ankle part and the foot part. The crank mechanism is provided between the driving part and the foot part and converts the linear motion to a rotational motion while changing a deceleration coefficient according to an ankle angle.