Procedura di progettazione di protesi a basso costo per l'arto inferiore

Inexpensive and efficient prostheses are needed both for developing and Western countries. The research activity described in this thesis aims at providing guidelines for the development of lower limb prostheses, referring in particular to the design of low cost prostheses. Physiological gait, commercial prostheses and prostheses evaluation methods are analyzed in order to understand the strategies adopted by the human locomotion system to walk with such artificial devices. This work outlines a lack of systematic approaches for the design prostheses, in particular for the low cost ones. This lack is overcome by suggesting a metodology, which is as much objective and repeatable as possible, oriented to the definition of the essential aspects that provide the patient with a good quality of life. Only these aspects should be selected to design the low cost prostheses, i.e. in order to obtain the maximum simplification and thus the maximum cost reduction. A model for the simulation of gait has been implemented. The spatial model presented is made up of 7 rigid members (correspondent to feet, shanks, thighs and pelvis) and has 24 degrees of freedom. The articular joints and the contact of the foot with ground are modeled as spherical joints. The foot sole allows three different supporting points. The simulations are executed utilizing criteria that consider the energetic, kinematic and dynamic issues as addressed by the locomotion system. An application of the procedure is shown. The identification of the kinematic physiological parameters and the simulation of a maimed gait (without stance knee flexion) are presented.