Team Members & Role:

• Andrew Meyer – Team Lead
• Julius Rosenthal – Fabrication Lead
• Andrew Keeley – Design Lead
• Shaun Daley – Analysis Lead
• Kelly Vicente – Evaluation Lead

Abstract:
Neural and Musco-skeletal disorders can leave patients with locomotion and balance issues that impair day to day life. For example, a stroke will cause gait impairment in 80% of cases. Current rehabilitation methods rely on kinematic constraints such as a split belt treadmill. Independently controlling the speed of each leg has been shown to correct gait asymmetry with consistent training. However, this method does not correct weight bearing issues. The Human Robot Systems Laboratory (HRSL) at Umass Amherst is working on a shoe that will be able to vary the dynamics between the foot and the ground. This novel solution would put kinetic constraints on the user which should help with weight bearing issues that persist from current rehabilitation methods. It would also be more portable than a treadmill and could be used in daily life. Our senior design group has created a proof of concept prototype of a variable stiffness mechanism that can adjust the foot-ground dynamics. Our design utilizes a top platform that sits on two elastic bands. The elastic bands can be pretensioned which increases the stiffness when a downward force is applied. This mechanism and our evaluation results will be used by the HSRL to assess the validity of our mechanism and see whether it can be implemented into a smaller and lighter package.