Abstract
We developed an intelligently controlled ankle foot orthosis (I-AFO) with compact Magneto-rheological fluid brakes to gain walking function closer to normal gait, and we have been studying to control the plantarflexion and dorsiflexion of ankle joint. In this study, we placed foot-switches in a short leg brace (I-AFO) that was developed from our conventional studies and evaluated the walking state with their use. We also created a control method that adjusted the torque according to the walking state in detail. Further, we applied this orthosis to a patient with lower limb disability, and adjusted the braking torque and control time for this patient’s walking characteristics. As a result, walking was improved compared to other walking conditions (bare foot and plastic AFO walking). These results demonstrated the effectiveness of ankle control by I-AFO using MR fluid brakes.
