Development of swimming prosthetic for physically disabled (optimal design for one side of above-elbow amputation)

Abstract

Swimming is a suitable sport for the physically disabled, since the buoyancy provided by the water enables the whole body to be trained through it. However, physical disability may worsen the swimming form and affect body balance. In this paper, the effect of upper-extremity amputation on the crawl swimming was firstly analyzed by simulation, since crawl is the most common stroke, and its thrust is mainly generated by the upper limb motion. Next, a swimming prosthetic which compensates for the amputated limb was designed using an optimization method. Finally, a swimming prosthetic was manufactured based on the results of the optimization, and the prosthetic' validity was confirmed by a preliminary evaluation. © 2006 Springer-Verlag New York.