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Titre :	Evaluation of a lightweight, unique, modular and adaptable passive Ankle-Foot Orthosis for improving the gait performance of children with cerebral palsy in daily-life situations
Type de document :	Travail de fin d'études
Auteurs :	Taddhée-Nicolas PAKULSKI, Auteur ; Tom VERSTRATEN, ; Edoardo BORI,
Editeur :	ECAM
Année de publication :	2024
Langues :	Anglais (eng)
Mots-clés :	Recherche & développement
Index. décimale :	TFE - Ingénierie de la Santé
Résumé :	Cerebral palsy (CP) is a prevalent childhood neurological disorder that affects movement, posture, and muscle coordination. While a cure for cerebral palsy does not currently exist, there are ways to enhance the quality of life for those affected. This constitutes the main challenge of the “inGAIT” project in collaboration with the University of Twente on which this work is based. There exist a large number of Ankle-Foot Orthosis, whether rigid, flexible, articulated or dynamic, which facilitate the daily life of a large number of Cerebral Palsy patients, but most of these focus on a specific problem of the gait cycle. Only a very small number of orthoses are concerned, as for the “inGAIT” project, with deficits in both opposing movements such as dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the foot. The “inGAIT” project, like few other Ankle-Foot Orthosis, aims to develop a lightweight, passive Ankle-Foot Orthosis technology for children which is adaptable during their growth and which corrects the two opposing and recurring movement defects. OBJECTIVE : The passive, lightweight and adaptable orthosis having been designed, the objective of this thesis is to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the mechanism used to counter plantar- and dorsiflexion problems appearing in the pathological gait cycle. METHOD : The evaluation of the effectiveness of the mechanism is based on the technical performances specific to the spring mechanism presented in detailed and exhaustive requirements document. The mathematical modelling of the physical situation is carried out using Matlab and an interface developed with App Designer. This interface provides easy access to mathematical models and variables to test different situations. In parallel, a test bench is built to reproduce the physical situation defined by the interface. Equipped with measuring devices such as a torque sensor and an angular magnetic sensor, the test bench makes it possible to evaluate torques in various situations based on different angles around the ankle joint. For the plantar- and dorsiflexion correction requirements, varied situations are generated by adjusting parameters such as the distance between the embedding and the contact point on the beam, the thickness of the beam, the material of the beam and the lever pressure curves. Finally, the comparison between the theoretical results and the physical data measures the effectiveness of the mechanism confirming its compliance with the required specifications. RESULTS : The study reveals significant differences between theoretical modelling and measurements on the physical device. While the behaviour of the torque curves is symmetrical to theoretical predictions, a pronounced slippage is observed at the contact between the pressure mechanism and the beam. The evaluations of the physical situations align with the expectations and specifications, with plantar- and dorsiflexion angles obtained precisely. However, the device turned out to be too heavy compared to the initial specifications, and important jerky movements were noted when rotating the spring mechanism. CONCLUSION : The results analysis exposes the complexity of predicting physical situations theoretically. However, reverse engineering achieves the requirements, offering an orthosis adaptable to each patient according to their needs, age, weight, height, etc. While mandatory requirements are met, several desired and nice to have performances require adjustments. On the other hand, significant technical issues, such as slippage and excessive friction, impact the fluidity of plantar- and dorsiflexion movements, affecting the patient’s gait. These results, while offering great technical advantages in adaptability and compactness, underline the need for adjustments, particularly by minimizing unwanted sliding and reducing friction. Without these improvements, an alternative to the spring mechanism must be considered before progressing to the next stage.

Evaluation of a lightweight, unique, modular and adaptable passive Ankle-Foot Orthosis for improving the gait performance of children with cerebral palsy in daily-life situations [Travail de fin d'études] / Taddhée-Nicolas PAKULSKI, Auteur ; Tom VERSTRATEN, ; Edoardo BORI,  . - ECAM, 2024.
Langues : Anglais (eng)

Mots-clés :	Recherche & développement
Index. décimale :	TFE - Ingénierie de la Santé
Résumé :	Cerebral palsy (CP) is a prevalent childhood neurological disorder that affects movement, posture, and muscle coordination. While a cure for cerebral palsy does not currently exist, there are ways to enhance the quality of life for those affected. This constitutes the main challenge of the “inGAIT” project in collaboration with the University of Twente on which this work is based. There exist a large number of Ankle-Foot Orthosis, whether rigid, flexible, articulated or dynamic, which facilitate the daily life of a large number of Cerebral Palsy patients, but most of these focus on a specific problem of the gait cycle. Only a very small number of orthoses are concerned, as for the “inGAIT” project, with deficits in both opposing movements such as dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the foot. The “inGAIT” project, like few other Ankle-Foot Orthosis, aims to develop a lightweight, passive Ankle-Foot Orthosis technology for children which is adaptable during their growth and which corrects the two opposing and recurring movement defects. OBJECTIVE : The passive, lightweight and adaptable orthosis having been designed, the objective of this thesis is to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the mechanism used to counter plantar- and dorsiflexion problems appearing in the pathological gait cycle. METHOD : The evaluation of the effectiveness of the mechanism is based on the technical performances specific to the spring mechanism presented in detailed and exhaustive requirements document. The mathematical modelling of the physical situation is carried out using Matlab and an interface developed with App Designer. This interface provides easy access to mathematical models and variables to test different situations. In parallel, a test bench is built to reproduce the physical situation defined by the interface. Equipped with measuring devices such as a torque sensor and an angular magnetic sensor, the test bench makes it possible to evaluate torques in various situations based on different angles around the ankle joint. For the plantar- and dorsiflexion correction requirements, varied situations are generated by adjusting parameters such as the distance between the embedding and the contact point on the beam, the thickness of the beam, the material of the beam and the lever pressure curves. Finally, the comparison between the theoretical results and the physical data measures the effectiveness of the mechanism confirming its compliance with the required specifications. RESULTS : The study reveals significant differences between theoretical modelling and measurements on the physical device. While the behaviour of the torque curves is symmetrical to theoretical predictions, a pronounced slippage is observed at the contact between the pressure mechanism and the beam. The evaluations of the physical situations align with the expectations and specifications, with plantar- and dorsiflexion angles obtained precisely. However, the device turned out to be too heavy compared to the initial specifications, and important jerky movements were noted when rotating the spring mechanism. CONCLUSION : The results analysis exposes the complexity of predicting physical situations theoretically. However, reverse engineering achieves the requirements, offering an orthosis adaptable to each patient according to their needs, age, weight, height, etc. While mandatory requirements are met, several desired and nice to have performances require adjustments. On the other hand, significant technical issues, such as slippage and excessive friction, impact the fluidity of plantar- and dorsiflexion movements, affecting the patient’s gait. These results, while offering great technical advantages in adaptability and compactness, underline the need for adjustments, particularly by minimizing unwanted sliding and reducing friction. Without these improvements, an alternative to the spring mechanism must be considered before progressing to the next stage.