Revolutionising Prosthetics and Orthotics with Affordable Customisable Open-Source Elastic Actuators

Abstract

Collaborative robots, also known as cobots, have become progressively popular as they are designed to safely work alongside humans or in shared environments. The adoption of compliant actuators, which avoid damage in the event of an unintentional collision, is an important feature of their design. In prosthetic and orthotic applications, the use of compliant actuators, which minimise damage in the case of an inadvertent contact, is critical to ensuring safety and comfort for the user. In dynamic settings, elastic actuators are preferred over rigid ones, however most compliant cobots are currently too expensive or complex to construct for prosthetic and orthotic applications. To address this challenge, this study presents a low-cost sensorised elastic actuator design for prosthetics and orthotics. This is presented as an educational framework. The design is modular and can be quickly customised using 3D printing technology, allowing for efficient and cost-effective fabrication. Both the hardware and software are open-source, enabling easy access for students, researchers and practitioners. The design also allows for the introduction of impedance and admittance control techniques, providing even greater versatility to the system.