Sensor Array System for In-Socket Interface Pressure Measurement of Transtibial Prosthesis Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • The comfort of a prosthesis to a lower limb amputee mainly depends on the load distribution among different points. This paper describes the development and testing of an interface pressure system (IPS) to evaluate the performance of a socket and regions of interest (ROIs) where the distribution loads directly affect the amputee. The methodology for assembling the IPS includes re-designing an array of six force-sensitive resistor sensors so that each sensor can be placed in a ROI before the liner and the design of an interface to acquire, process, analyze, and store the data. The re-design of the system takes into account requirements such as portability, weight, power source with rechargeable batteries, wireless communication protocol, proper acquisition rate, connectors for all the elements, and small size. The system was tested with three subjects with transtibial amputation using a static test protocol showing its functionality in comparing the load distribution for different sockets. The data analysis outcomes from the tests showed the different load distributions for six ROIs: patellar tendon, fibula head, anterior mid tibia, anterior distal tibia, posterior proximal wall, and posterior distal wall as well as the comparison between two different sockets for each participant. The designed device can be used to assess socket quality and comfort during static and walking tests. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

publication date

  • January 1, 2024