Abstract
The results of our research into the latest global technology of microprocessor controlled lower limb prostheses produced the Intelligent Prosthetic (IP) System that is satisfying international demand. We are also developing new prosthetic system that will allow the user to negotiate various terrains, and we will continue to report on gait analysis studies among trans-tibial and trans-femoral prosthesis users. In this study, we followed one subject using a trans-tibial prosthesis, analyzing his gait on different terrain such as stairs, slopes and uneven terrain, and investigated the necessary function at the knee joint for trans-femoral prosthesis users. From the results of our experiments on the trans-tibial subject, we calculated the load vectors which was applied to the prosthesis as well as the knee joint moment, and gained chronological data on the knee joint moment with respect to knee flexion. When we focused on the knee joint moment, there was significant disparity between the data for trans-tibial and trans-femoral prostheses, indicating that there are several functions that should be added to the knee joint of the trans-femoral prostheses to allow it to approach the knee of trans-tibial prosthesis users.
