Development of a semi-active ankle mechanism to generate dorsiflexion/plantar flexion, adduction/abduction, and eversion/inversion movements

This paper presents the development of a semi-active ankle mechanism for prosthesis with three movements: dorsi-flexion/plantar-flexion, adduction/abduction, and eversion/inversion, with the aim of avoiding limitations in the sagittal and frontal planes. This method allows the user to walk on irregular surfaces such as slopes or ramps. The mechatronic design quotient (MDQ) was used to define a conceptual design to facilitate decision making in the process. A four-bar mechanism was designed to perform the movement in the sagittal plane and a coupling was made between the frontal and transverse planes. For the validation of the movements generated by the mechanism, virtual simulations were performed in Adams ViewTM software.