Ankle Performance in a Prototype Exoskeleton Boot Compared to Traditional Military Boots
Presenter Type
UNO Undergraduate Student
Major/Field of Study
Biomechanics
Other
Pre-Medical
Advisor Information
Corbin Rasmussen
Location
CEC RM #201/205/209
Presentation Type
Poster
Poster Size
36x48
Start Date
22-3-2024 10:30 AM
End Date
22-3-2024 11:45 AM
Abstract
Non-combat lower leg injuries in the field, such as ankle sprains, are a concern for the military with the potential to incapacitate a soldier during an operation. Furthermore, safely extracting the injured combatant may require one or two additional soldiers, leaving them exposed and unable to carry out their role. Existing bracing options are limited, and typical braces aren’t compliant with army regulation which prohibits visible assistive devices during active duty. The FlyBand® ExoBoot is a military compliant slotted boot allowing for insertion of a carbon-fiber cartridge of adjustable stiffness levels to limit ankle inversion/eversion. In addition, a baseline exotendon is integrated into the boot design and provides a small amount of propulsive assistance. This study determined the effectiveness of the ExoBoot compared to conventional military boots with various bracing conditions by measuring ankle angles, moments, and powers.
Five healthy young adult males were recruited for this study. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected from overground walking trials while completing six different boot and ankle brace combinations: three with conventional boots and braces and three with FlyBand’s bracing system. Peak ankle angles, moments, and powers in both inversion/eversion and dorsiflexion/plantarflexion directions were derived and compared between boots at equivalent bracing levels with paired t-tests.
Statistically significant differences were noted in several of the observed ankle conditions. The most notable difference was between the conventional hinged ankle brace and the ExoBoot with high stiffness. The ExoBoot allowed a much greater degree of ankle inversion at heel contact. In ankle inversion, there was a notable decrease in power. The ExoBoot also allowed greater range of motion in dorsiflexion/plantarflexion with comparable power. Similar to the high bracing condition, mid-level bracing compared a reduced cartridge size vs. a simple ankle brace and resulted in increased inversion and plantarflexion at the cost of dorsiflexion moment and power. There was not a significant difference in inversion moment or power. The findings between the ExoBoot without cartridges vs. the standard military boot indicate that the ExoBoot provides some extra degree of freedom in ankle inversion, but reduced power and moments. Dorsiflexion moment favored the conventional boot, while no significant difference was noted in plantarflexion. In general, the ExoBoot provided greater mobility and strength in inversion and plantarflexion; eversion and dorsiflexion mobility was slightly reduced with variable cost to strength depending on bracing condition.
Ankle Performance in a Prototype Exoskeleton Boot Compared to Traditional Military Boots
CEC RM #201/205/209
Non-combat lower leg injuries in the field, such as ankle sprains, are a concern for the military with the potential to incapacitate a soldier during an operation. Furthermore, safely extracting the injured combatant may require one or two additional soldiers, leaving them exposed and unable to carry out their role. Existing bracing options are limited, and typical braces aren’t compliant with army regulation which prohibits visible assistive devices during active duty. The FlyBand® ExoBoot is a military compliant slotted boot allowing for insertion of a carbon-fiber cartridge of adjustable stiffness levels to limit ankle inversion/eversion. In addition, a baseline exotendon is integrated into the boot design and provides a small amount of propulsive assistance. This study determined the effectiveness of the ExoBoot compared to conventional military boots with various bracing conditions by measuring ankle angles, moments, and powers.
Five healthy young adult males were recruited for this study. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected from overground walking trials while completing six different boot and ankle brace combinations: three with conventional boots and braces and three with FlyBand’s bracing system. Peak ankle angles, moments, and powers in both inversion/eversion and dorsiflexion/plantarflexion directions were derived and compared between boots at equivalent bracing levels with paired t-tests.
Statistically significant differences were noted in several of the observed ankle conditions. The most notable difference was between the conventional hinged ankle brace and the ExoBoot with high stiffness. The ExoBoot allowed a much greater degree of ankle inversion at heel contact. In ankle inversion, there was a notable decrease in power. The ExoBoot also allowed greater range of motion in dorsiflexion/plantarflexion with comparable power. Similar to the high bracing condition, mid-level bracing compared a reduced cartridge size vs. a simple ankle brace and resulted in increased inversion and plantarflexion at the cost of dorsiflexion moment and power. There was not a significant difference in inversion moment or power. The findings between the ExoBoot without cartridges vs. the standard military boot indicate that the ExoBoot provides some extra degree of freedom in ankle inversion, but reduced power and moments. Dorsiflexion moment favored the conventional boot, while no significant difference was noted in plantarflexion. In general, the ExoBoot provided greater mobility and strength in inversion and plantarflexion; eversion and dorsiflexion mobility was slightly reduced with variable cost to strength depending on bracing condition.