Researchers are developing an artificial vision system that can enable a robotic ankle to see where it is going to improve the wearer’s gait.
Mo Rastgaar, a Michigan Technological University mechanical engineer and his team have already developed a prototype of the prosthetic ankle that can provide a range of motion that rivals a natural gait. Next, they aim to give their robotic ankle something different: eyes. “We are developing an artificial vision system,” said Rastgaar.
The key components are a low-cost camera and a computer-controlled actuator, which adjusts the ankle’s position through a system of cables. “The camera can identify the profile of the ground, while the computer knows where the next footstep will be, based on how the user is moving the leg,” Rastgaar said. 