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 system for powering a prosthetic arm is disclosed. The system includes at least one internal battery located in the prosthetic arm, at least one external battery connected to the prosthetic arm, and a master controller configured to connect either the at least one internal battery or the at least one external battery to a power bus to power the prosthetic arm.

Knee orthoses or prostheses can be used to automatically, when appropriate, initiate a stand-up sequence based on the position of a person's knee with respect to the person's ankle while the person is in a seated position. When the knee is moved to a position that is forward of the ankle, at least one actuator of the orthosis or prosthesis is actuated to help raise the person from the seated position to a standing position.

Hybrid terrain-adaptive lower-extremity apparatus and methods that perform in a variety of different situations by detecting the terrain that is being traversed, and adapting to the detected terrain. In some embodiments, the ability to control the apparatus for each of these situations builds upon five basic capabilities: (1) determining the activity being performed; (2) dynamically controlling the characteristics of the apparatus based on the activity that is being performed; (3) dynamically driving the apparatus based on the activity that is being performed; (4) determining terrain texture irregularities (e.g., how sticky is the terrain, how slippery is the terrain, is the terrain coarse or smooth, does the terrain have any obstructions, such, as rocks) and (5) a mechanical design of the apparatus that can respond to the dynamic control and dynamic drive.

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).

A prosthetic system includes a prosthetic liner adapted to provide an interface between a residual limb and a prosthetic socket, and a valve assembly. The valve assembly is arranged for regulating fluid communication between an interface region defined between the prosthetic liner and the residual limb and a suspension chamber defined between the prosthetic liner and the prosthetic socket. A vacuum in the suspension chamber selectively moves the valve assembly between a closed position in which the valve assembly fluidly separates the suspension chamber from the interface region, and an open position in which a portion of the vacuum in the suspension chamber draws fluid from the interface region via the valve assembly into the suspension chamber.

A method of regulating pressure inside a prosthetic socket includes measuring pressure inside of a prosthetic socket using one or more sensors operatively coupled to a pump system to obtain pressure information associated with an inside of the prosthetic socket. The pump system has a pump mechanism in fluid communication with the inside of the prosthetic socket. The method involves actuating the pump mechanism without human intervention to regulate vacuum inside of the prosthetic socket based on the pressure information.

A system for conscious sensory feedback for a body extremity without sensation or a body extremity prosthesis is disclosed, as well as methods for conscious sensory feedback based on said system; a glove, a sock and a body extremity prosthesis comprising said system; and use of the system.

A robotic assembly control system is disclosed. The robotic assembly control system includes an exoskeleton apparatus adapted to be worn by a user, at least one robotic assembly, the at least one robotic assembly controlled by the user by way of the exoskeleton, and at least one mobile platform, the at least one mobile platform controlled by the user and wherein the at least one robotic assembly is attached to the at least one mobile platform.

A bio-sensor strip adapted to be located between an object and a body part. The bio-sensor strip comprises one or more of bio-sensors (819, 919) disposed on at least one first polymer film (825), wherein the bio-sensors (819, 919) measure parameters at a location between the object (216, 316, 916) and the body part (932).