Abstract:
Commercially available prosthetic elbows have stiff actuators (motors) that are only
capable of motion (position or velocity) control. In an attempt to mimic human physiology while
accommodating prosthetic demands, a non-backdrivable motor has been created that is less stiff
and capable of impedance control. Impedance control responds well to different environments
and the presence of perturbations. Results have shown that this motor, though non-backdrivable
to ensure sufficient battery supply, is still capable of exerting sufficient torque, speed, and
frequency bandwidth to be useful in prosthetics. In the future, patients will be fit with this type of
motor to examine if they objectively and subjectively perform better using this more
physiologically appropriate prosthesis.
