Ankle Positioning Device Faculty Advisors: Dr. Bawab & Dr. Ringleb Students: Vasile Grigorita, Dominick Hudson, Jin Hyuk Kim, Bryan Mazac, Christopher Parrish, and Christopher Villaire
Introduction Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries. 25,000 Ankle Injuries happen every day in America. The ankle region consists of three joints which provide balance, strength, and stability.
Purpose To design a device capable of loading and positioning the ankle in a closed kinetic chain so that the dynamics of the ankle can be realistically analyzed.
Joint ranges of motion Plantarflexion/Dorsiflexion Abductor/Adductor Eversion/Inversion The other two motions are translations in the X and Y planes.
Product Features Easy to use interface Undergo realistic loading via load cell Obtain accurate ankle motion analysis. Minimal machining and cost efficient.
Control Methods Accelerometer & Gyro Arduino Software Lab-View
- Definition Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench A system-design platform and development environment for a Visual Programming Language
- Diagram
- Control Panel
Mechanical Design Bearing Selection Horizontal Translation Side-mount track roller carriage and guide rails 3 internal track rollers per carriage Vertical Translation Self-lubricated pillow block linear sleeve Chemical-resistant PFTE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) liner Machining Alignment issues with initial design utilizing base plate welds Warping Making adjustments after fabrication Solution Redesign all base plate and alignment sensitive components Utilize U-channels for transition tiers Assemble components with threaded fasteners
Machining and Assembly Replaced welds with cap screws. Shimmed gap between pillow bearings and weight plate was added.
The Device Operation Can be operated remotely or by keyboard inputs Motion can be utilized in series or in parallel Safety switches will prevent further injury
Gantt Chart
Outstanding Tasks Add an adjustable clamp to the foot plate Add a joystick or handheld motion sensor to control servos