Design of a portable hydraulic ankle-foot orthosis.

Small-scale hydraulics is ideal for powered human assistive devices including powered ankle foot orthoses because a large torque can be generated with an actuator that is small and light. A portable hydraulic ankle foot orthosis has been designed and is undergoing preliminary prototyping and engineering bench test evaluation. The device provides 90 Nm of ankle torque and has an operating pressure of 138 bar (2,000 psi). The battery-operated hydraulic power supply weighs about 3 kg and is worn at the waist. The ankle component weighs about 1.2 Kg and connects to the power supply with two hoses. Performance simulation and preliminary bench testing suggests that the device could be useful in certain rehabilitation applications.