ACTIVE ANKLE FOOT ORTHOTIC AFO Design Project Management

ACTIVE ANKLE FOOT ORTHOTIC (AFO) Design Project Management

Introduction to the Team Members Shane Reardon - (ME) Travis Blais - (ME) Diane Kang - (IE) Austin Frazer – (ME) Mentor Gerald Garavuso Sponsors Dr. Lamkin Kennard Dr. Debartolo Christopher Sullivan

Table of Contents • • Problem Definition Background Benchmarking Limitations of Current AFOs Stakeholders Affinity Diagram Summary/Conclusions Questions

Problem Definition Lay out roadmap for air muscle-driven active Ankle-Foot Orthotic Eliminate the condition known as “foot drop” Midstance Foot Drop (Between Propulsive and Contact Phase)

Problem Definition Cont. Benefactors include stroke survivors, those affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and etc. Promote natural gait � Does NOT include the propulsion stage of gait. Ultimately identify a group of MSD projects to develop active AFO subsystems.

Background Air muscles are capable of lifting weight of human foot Robo-Ant, hand, Underwater Crab MSD projects have already utilized air muscles in their design � Bountiful data exists characterizing air muscle behavior A terrain sensing system is already in development (Christopher Sullivan)

Benchmarking Passive Active

Limitations of Current AFOs Doesn’t allow the range of motion for plantar flexion Only suitable for walking on level surfaces Bulky/Heavy Difficult to put on/take off Must be custom fit

Stakeholders Dr. Debartolo Dr. Lamkin Kennard Christopher (Chappy) Sullivan Patients Medical Professionals (Doctors & Physical Therapists) Manufacturers

Affinity Diagram R 12000 Affinity Diagram

Summary/Conclusions Current AFOs have proven insufficient to patients suffering from foot drop An active AFO could enable patients to safely travel at variable speeds and terrain Our job is to identify a group of MSD projects to develop active AFO subsystems utilizing air muscle technology.

Questions?