P15001: Soft Ankle-Foot Orthotic

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Top Row: Geni Giannotti, Megan Ehrhart, Noah Schadt, Tyler Leichtenberger Bottom Row: Jared Green, Adam Podolec

Project Name: Active Ankle Foot Orthotic: Untethered Flexible Exoskeleton Air Muscle
Project Number: P15001
Project Family: Biomedical Systems and Technologies Track
Start Term: 2141 (Fall 2014)
End Term: 2145 (Spring 2015)
Faculty Guide: Mr. Edward Hanzlik, echeee@rit.edu
Primary Customer: Dr. Elizabeth DeBartolo, eademe@rit.edu

Project Overview

Our senior design project is an active ankle-foot orthotic (AFO). This is an assistive walking device that is utilized by individuals with Foot Drop condition. Current AFO’s are bulky, rigid, and disrupt the user’s natural gait by providing assistance at all times, regardless of need.

Device Overview:
An active AFO will provide users with assistance only during appropriate times in the gait cycle through the use of an air muscle. This timing will be determined using a Heelstrike sensor to measure gait and a distance sensor to distinguish terrain. The air muscle will be filled with compressed air from an air tank; this will make the AFO untethered, a feature that has not been completed by a senior design team at RIT.

This device is not a replacement for medical treatment- it is simply a device to assist someone with walking.

Customer Requirements:	How the System Addresses the Need:
Hold foot up when stepping forward	Increased Dorsiflexion Mobility with Air Muscle
Last for full day without recharging	Muscle can provide correct number of flexes for target demographic
Fit into clients existing shoe	Adds only 0.12 inches to clients foot
Adapt to different terrain	Manual switch added to provide desired support up stairs
Utilizes a McKibben muscle	Muscle used and designed for needed deflection and number of flexes
The device must be soft and flexible rather than rigid	Device is machine washable and more aesthetically pleasing than previous project

System Design
The design of the AFO was split into two pieces, an upper component and a lower component.

		The lower component is comprised of the soft orthotic, the McKibben muscle with lower and upper attachments, the lower component housing with the sensor PCB board and IR sensor, the heel sensor, and the toe sensor.
		The upper component consists of a small backpack that contains a compressed air tank with a regulator, a solenoid valve, a printed circuit board (PCB), and batteries. A pressurized air hose, power cable, and signal wiring are tethered together in a mesh sleeve and routed from the backpack to the lower component.

Accomplishments

Top 6 finalist for the Undergraduate Design Competition at the Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference in Snowbird, Utah from June 17-20th, 2015
Finalist in New York Business Plan Competition
Highlighted Imagine RIT exhibit on National Public Radio

Home	Planning & Execution	Problem Definition	Systems Design	Subsystems Design	Detailed Design	Gate Review
MSD I	Team Members & Roles Project Plan Meeting Minutes, Notes, & Actions Team Values and Norms	Project Summary Use Scenario Customer Requirements Engineering Requirements Concerns and Risks Problem Definition Review	Functional Decomposition Morphological Chart Pugh Chart System Design Performance Limits Risk Assessment System Design Review	Phase Planning Electrical Testing Mechanical Testing CAD Models Build, Assembly, and Debug Plan Bill of Materials Risk Assessment Subsystems Review	Phase Planning Mechanical System Concept Electrical System Concept Bill of Materials Risk Assessment Detailed Design Review	Phase Planning System Design Bill of Materials Build, Assembly, and Debug Plan Electrical System Concept Mechanical System Concept Risk Assessment Gate Review
	Build Preparation	Build & Test	Integrate & Assemble	System Validation	System Verification	Final Review
MSD II	Phase Planning Imagine RIT Shared Vision MSDII Test Plan Problem Tracking	Phase Planning Engineering Requirements Problem Tracking Mechanical Build Integrated Prototype Electrical Build	Phase Planning Engineering Requirements Problem Tracking Updated System Design Electrical Build Nazareth Clinic	Phase Planning Engineering Requirements Problem Tracking Updated Board Design Wearibility Testing Nazareth Clinic Imagine Deliverables	Phase Planning Engineering Requirements Problem Tracking New Muscle Testing RIT Subject Testing Imagine RIT	Performance vs. Requirements Budget Tracking Electrical Design Mechanical Design Assembly and Build Plan Next Steps

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