The biarticular gastrocnemius muscle spans across the ankle and knee joint and performs several useful functions during walking. Conventional prostheses do not restore the missing function of the gastrocnemius muscle. The aim of this long-term project is to develop a novel biarticular prosthesis (BP) that replicates the function of the gastrocnemius muscle and then determine if the BP reduces asymmetrical and undesirable gait patterns associated with conventional prostheses. By normalizing leg muscle patterns, lower-limb amputees using the BP may experience less discomfort and find it easier to walk.

Project Updates (newest first)

BP: Kinematic and Kinetic Analysis of a Transtibial Biarticular Prosthesis
BP: Evaluation of the Mechanical Function of a Novel Lower-Limb Biarticular Prosthesis
BP: Model Development and Sensitivity Analysis of Clutched Spring Parameters
BP: Simulations of Walking with a Prosthetic Gastrocnemius Spring