A cost effective design and analysis of an active prosthetic knee for transfemoral amputees

People with lower extremity amputations face great hardship in keeping pace with the world around them. The solution for their problems is the use of advanced prosthetic devices which can help them to regain their freedom of mobility. But the exorbitant cost of such devices is a great hindrance. Hence, there is a requirement for development of low cost advanced prosthetic devices. The main objective of this research is to design a cost effective, light weight and durable lower extremity prosthetic device that can be used by a wide range of transfemoral amputees. The system has been designed according to the anthropometric constraints. Its cost has been controlled by the use of non-expensive materials and actuators. The complete design has been kept as simple as possible to increase reliability and reduce cost. A model of the system has been created using Solid Works®. The structural analysis of the design was conducted using ANSYS® and the functional verification was performed using the Simulink® Software, which is a part of the MATLAB® software package.