ArticleIEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society2018
Design and Validation of a Semi-Active Variable Stiffness Foot Prosthesis.
Article in IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed.
- The SoftFoot Pro: an anthropomorphic and adaptive soft articulated prosthetic foot.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Design and Characterization of the AdjuSST: An Adjustable Surface Stiffness Treadmill.IEEE/ASME transactions on mechatronics : a joint publication of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society and the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division · 2025Article
- Adjustable Compliance Footwear Technology to Investigate Gait Adaptation.IEEE robotics and automation letters · 2025Article
- A low-noise low-impedance powered knee prosthesis with direct ball screw drive and torque-sensitive actuation.The International journal of robotics research · 2025Article
- Design Optimization of the Mechanics of a Metamaterial-Based Prosthetic Foot.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Changes in Dynamic Mean Ankle Moment Arm in Unimpaired Walking Across Speeds, Ramps, and Stairs.Journal of biomechanical engineering · 2024Article
- Variable-stiffness prosthesis improves biomechanics of walking across speeds compared to a passive device.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Design, Control, and Evaluation of a Robotic Ankle-Foot Prosthesis Emulator.IEEE transactions on medical robotics and bionics · 2023Article
- A low-power ankle-foot prosthesis for push-off enhancement.Wearable technologies · 2023Article
- Sensitivity of lower-limb joint mechanics to prosthetic forefoot stiffness with a variable stiffness foot in level-ground walking.Journal of biomechanics · 2023Article
- A lightweight robotic leg prosthesis replicating the biomechanics of the knee, ankle, and toe joint.Science robotics · 2022Article
- A Computational Gait Model With a Below-Knee Amputation and a Semi-Active Variable-Stiffness Foot Prosthesis.Journal of biomechanical engineering · 2021Article
- Design of an Underactuated Powered Ankle and Toe Prosthesis.Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference · 2021Article
- Design of 3D printable prosthetic foot to implement nonlinear stiffness behavior of human toe joint based on finite element analysis.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Adapting Semi-Active Prostheses to Real-World Movements: Sensing and Controlling the Dynamic Mean Ankle Moment Arm with a Variable-Stiffness Foot on Ramps and Stairs.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- A passive mechanism for decoupling energy storage and return in ankle-foot prostheses: A case study in recycling collision energy.Wearable technologies · 2021Article
- How to run 50% faster without external energy.Science advances · 2020Article
- The effects of ankle stiffness on mechanics and energetics of walking with added loads: a prosthetic emulator study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2019Article
- The foot and ankle structures reveal emergent properties analogous to passive springs during human walking.PloS one · 2019Article
- A simulation-based analysis of the effects of variable prosthesis stiffness on interface dynamics between the prosthetic socket and residual limb.Journal of rehabilitation and assistive technologies engineeringArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
This paper presents the design and validation of a novel lower limb prosthesis called the variable stiffness foot (VSF), designed to vary its forefoot stiffness in response to user activity. The VSF is designed as a semi-active device that adjusts its stiffness once per stride during swing phases, in order to minimize size, mass, and power consumption. The forefoot keel is designed as an overhung composite beam, whose stiffness is varied by moving a support fulcrum to change the length of the overhang. Stiffness modulation is programmed in response to the gait characteristics detected through foot trajectory reconstruction based on an embedded inertial sensor. The prototype VSF has a mass of only 649 g including the battery, and a build height of 87 mm. Mechanical testing demonstrated a forefoot stiffness range of 10-32 N/mm for the prototype, a threefold range of stiffness variation. The stiffness range can be altered by changing the keel material or geometry. Actuation testing showed that the VSF can make a full-scale stiffness adjustment within three strides, and tracks moderate speed-driven variations within one swing phase. Human subjects testing demonstrated greater energy storage and return with lower stiffness settings. This capability may be useful for the modulating prosthesis energy return to better mimic human ankle function. Subjective feedback indicated clear perception by the subjects of contrasts among the stiffness settings, including interpretation of scenarios for which different settings may be beneficial. Future applications of the VSF include adapting stiffness to optimize stairs, ramps, turns, and standing.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.