STIFFNESS ANALYSIS OF A SIMPLIFIED ANKLE-FOOT ORTHOSIS

Due to the impact gait impairments have on afflicted individuals' lives, there are many efforts to find effective remedies. One example is drop foot, a condition in which the dorsiflexion in the leg falters, and the forefront of the foot drags during walking. One of these is the use of an Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO), a device worn on the lower extremity of the leg to improve walking ability. Although these orthoses have been improved over time to address a user's physical needs, material and financial restrictions are still an obstacle. To find the lowest cost AFO design of high performance, a study was conducted to investigate the applications of a simplified design process for an AFO. The design process is a fast, low cost, easy technique of laser cutting thermoplastic resin and bending a drawing into a 3-dimensional AFO. Finding the best AFO possible using this design process was easy, involving making a 2-dimensional CAD model for laser cutting, performing Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations and comparing a variety of designs, materials, and configurations for their ability to improve a user's gait kinematics while also meeting optimal cost and comfort needs.