This project is about clinical testing and product development of AnkleMECH, which was developed for use in patients with congenital limb loss or amputation. The prosthesis prototype we have developed can perform internal-external rotation, inversion-eversion, and plantar/dorsi-flexion movements of the natural ankle as much as in its natural range of motion. It provides the realization of these motions passively with elastic elements in a way to provide energy efficiency. At the same time, it has dorsi-flexion springs designed according to biomechanical data and a mechanism that changes the position of these springs in accordance with the natural ankle movement during walking. Thus, it has a human-centered design that gives the ankle push-off support, which is critical in walking, close to the natural ankle. In this way, it helps both to reduce the extra metabolic energy consumption of the prosthetic users and to maintain the gait symmetry with the natural ankle movement. Since the range of motion provided in other axes overlaps with the natural ankle range of motion, it provides convenience for the user, ease of rotation, and balanced walking thanks to its compatibility with rough/sloping surfaces. Since these motions are provided under the control of elastic elements calculated according to ankle biomechanics, it does not need any external power source. Thus, thanks to its simple structure and using composite materials, a lightweight, compact, and low-budget prosthesis with a mass of 500 g and a size 42 foot was obtained as the first iteration. It is aimed to obtain the final product by obtaining the iterations. For this purpose, we plan to carry out realistic field tests with the iteration obtained after the preliminary functional tests and daily life activity tests by giving the latter iteration obtained from field tests to 10 users.

Project team: Baris Baysal, Ulas Tigin and Ramazan Unal