Page 55 - Research Report 2021 - Institut für Leichtbau und Kunststofftechnik

pro-O-light – FußhebOr

Development of a foot lifter orthosis with kinematic,
actuator functions

In a cooperative project with academic and industrial partners, a function-in- Period
tegrating foot lifter orthosis was developed. Patients who have a foot-lifting 01.12.2018 – 31.05.2021
weakness can no longer lift their foot on their own when walking, so that
when they lift their foot off the ground it folds downwards which results is an Project management
increased risk of tripping. Foot lifter orthoses serve to prevent bending and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Niels Modler
are therefore currently comparatively rigid. The goals of the project were on
the one hand the use of adapted lightweight or fibre composite materials and Contact
on the second hand the development of an actuator concept using shape Dr.-Ing. Anja Winkler
memory materials.
Project partners
For this purpose, existing orthoses were analysed and redesigned with regard • Institute of Mechatronics (IfM)
to the actuators to be integrated. In the context of choosing materials, com- at the TU Chemnitz
posite plates were manufactured and tested with regard to their mechanical • TRANSCERAM GmbH
and processing properties so that they can also be easily and safely processed • Borgmann Ortopädietechnik GmbH
in orthopaedic technology. A cable pull mechanism with a smooth-running • Dr. Schwab Gesellschaft für
bearing was designed to generate movement. The actuator itself consists of Technologieberatung GmbH
shape memory wires, which can be specifically controlled and cooled. With
two actuators, arranged on the left and right side of the orthosis, a trac- Funding
tive force on the bearing of over 220 N and a frequency of deflection of ap-
prox. 0.7 Hz can be achieved. Within the framework of the project, it was thus
possible to build and test a prototypical active foot-lifting orthosis.

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and
Climate Action (BMWK): Central Innovation
Programme for SMEs (ZIM)
Funding code: 16KN067344

Managed by:

VDI/VDE Innovation + Technology GmbH

Active foot lifter orthosis in test bench.

55