Development of an advanced control system for prostheses (artificial limbs) is necessary to provide functionality, effectiveness, and preferably the feeling of a sound living limb. The development of the control system has introduced varieties of control strategies depending on the application. This paper reviews some control systems used for prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeletons. The advantages and limitations of different control systems for particular applications have been discussed and presented in a comparative manner to help in deciding the appropriate method for pertinent application.
A gear-based knee joint is designed to improve the performance of mechanical-type above-knee prostheses. The gear set with the help of some bracing, and bracket arrangement, is used to enable the prosthesis to follow the residual limb movement. The motion analysis and finite-element analysis (FEA) of knee joint components are carried out to assess the feasibility of the design. The maximum stress of 29.74 MPa and maximum strain of 2.393e-004 are obtained in the gear, whereas the maximum displacement of 7.975 mm occurred in the stopper of the knee arrangement. The factor of safety of 3.5 obtained from the FE analysis indicated no possibility of design failure. The results obtained from the FE analysis are then compared with the real data obtained from the literature for a similar subject. The pattern of motion analysis results has shown a great resemblance with the gait cycle of a healthy biological limb.