MODELING AND SIMULATION OF A KNEE ORTHOSIS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

Studies revealed that in the present times several persons suffer neural-motor injuries and need medical rehabilitation. The orthoses are used for improving the human motor functions or diminishing the symptoms of a disease. A research group from Transilvania University of Brasov works on a project that aims to develop and implement an intelligent orthosis for the rehabilitation of the inferior/ superior articulations of the persons suffering of neural-motor problems. The training of the injured member is done by the information received from the healthy member, through a command and control unit. The device is attached to the injured arm/ leg, in the region the rehabilitation is required and it may be programmed in terms of the desired task. The present work addresses the questions that occur during the stage of the mechanical system constructive design, related to the load transmitted to the orthosis during its operation phase. As a complementary method to the experimental approach, the computational modelling and analysis – FEM – is used for prediction of load distribution in the orthosis to be designed.