On the application of spatial four-bar motion and axode generation for the design of a prosthetic canine knee joint

The novelty of this work is that for the first time, spatial four-bar linkage motion generation and axode generation models have been applied for the design of a joint to replicate natural canine knee motion. This canine knee design method incorporates spatial four-bar Revolute-Revolute-Spherical-Spherical linkage motion generation and axode generation models to ultimately produce the rolling cam surfaces needed to produce natural spatial canine knee motion. This work presents the latest findings from an ongoing study where a transfemoral prosthetic knee design method is being applied to produce concept prosthetic knee joints for canines that replicate natural spatial knee motion during treadmill gait. To date, this study has considered three canine subjects, ranging from ages 1.1 to 10 years and treadmill speeds ranging from 1.3 to 2.9 km/h.