期刊名称：International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems
印刷版ISSN：1729-8806
电子版ISSN：1729-8814
出版年度：2011
卷号：8
DOI：10.5772/10664
语种：English
出版社：SAGE Publications
摘要：Standard underarm or forearm crutches have some drawbacks induced by their rigid legs. Sping-loaded crutches can reduce the impact effect. However, whether or not they also improve propulsion is an open problem. We formulate a problem of the optimal performance of spring-loaded crutches and propose a numerical approach to solve the problem. Then, the numerical optimal values are incorporated to the innovative design of a pair of spring-loaded crutches. To evaluate the crutches' performance, we have conducted standard biomechanical experiments for a number of male subjects under two conditions: walking with standard crutches and with spring-loaded crutches. Three dimensional kinematic data and ground reaction force were recorded and analysed. It was observed that optimized spring-loaded crutches can efficiently propel the crutch walkers, which conforms to the theory.
关键词：Optimal Control; Boundary Value Problem; Biomechanics; Crunch Ambulation
