Development of a robust microcontroller based intelligent prosthetic limb

Abstract

Adaptive Modular Active Leg (AMAL), a robotic Intelligent Prosthetic Limb has been developed at the Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad. The aim of the project was to provide the comfort of an intelligent prosthetic knee joint for differently abeled person with one leg amputated above the knee. AMAL provides him with the necessary shock absorption and a suitable bending of the knee joint oscillation. The bending and the shock absorption are provided by artificial muscles. In our case, it is the MR (Magneto Rheological) damper which controls the knee movement of an amputee. The feedback signal is provided by the heel's strike sensor. AMAL has been kept simple with minimal feedback sensors and controls so that the product is economically viable for the patients. In this paper we describe the mechanical design, the electronic control with its successful testing on differently abeled persons. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.