Application of angular rate gyroscopes for the analysis of swing phase control in transfemoral amputee gait

Microprocessor controlled knee prostheses require expertise and programming skill to setup the swing phase damping performance for different walking speeds. There is a lack of suitable sensing and analysis means to quantify control performance and assist the setup process thereby hindering the development of self-optimizing prostheses. In this project the application of miniature gyroscopes was explored as a means to quantify the swing phase control of transfemoral (TF) amputees. The stride-to-stride repeatability of locomotion and the timing and coordination of knee segment motions were investigated as potential indicators of prosthetic swing control performance.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo