Artificial Tendons: Biomechanical Design Properties for Prosthetic Lower Limbs

1 Dept. of Veterans Affairs 2 Dept. of Rehabilitation Medicine 3 Dept. of Electrical Engineering 1660 S. Columbian Way MS 151 University of Washington University of Washington Seattle, WA 98108 USA Seattle, WA 98195 Seattle, WA 98195 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract This paper reports on the design of an artificial tendon intended for use in a powered, lower limb prosthesis. To specify performance requirements, the properties of mammalian weight bearing tendons are drawn from the literature and compared with a number of existing tendon models. Based on the data, a mathematical model of an energy storing tendon is proposed and used to design an artificial tendon that mimics the performance of the human Achilles tendon. The proposed tendon design is a tradeoff between a weight penalty and desired performance. Experimental results of this practical design demonstrate desired performance.