Design and Prototype of an Active Knee Exoskeleton to Aid Farmers with Mobility Limitations

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorWood, Evan A.en
dc.contributor.committeechairAsbeck, Alan T.en
dc.contributor.committeememberLeonessa, Alexanderen
dc.contributor.committeememberSrinivasan, Divyaen
dc.contributor.departmentMechanical Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-11T08:01:05Zen
dc.date.available2019-09-11T08:01:05Zen
dc.date.issued2019-09-10en
dc.description.abstractAs farmers continue to get older, they will likely face age-related disabilities that impede their ability to work and increase risk of suffering serious injuries. One of the major age- related diseases is arthritis, which currently accounts for about 40% of disability cases in agriculture nationwide. The effect of arthritis on farmers is profound because it reduces their physical strength, joint range of motion and is a source of joint pain, all culminating in the lack of ability to perform routine activities regularly and safely. One way to decrease the rate of injuries is by reducing the strength and joint loading required to perform these activities through the use of wearable robotics. As opposed to existing solutions that focus only on injury prevention, this thesis will present an active, knee-assist exoskeleton intent on providing 30% of the necessary joint rotation force to perform activities such as sit-to- stand actions and the ascent/descent of stairs and hills. The device will be a lightweight, unobtrusive cable-driven exoskeleton actuated by distally-worn electric motors. We hope that use of the exoskeleton will result in increased ranges of motion and overall reduction of stress on the wearer's body, which will minimize the effects of arthritis and ultimately improve safety and quality of life.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralAs farmers continue to get older, they will likely face age-related disabilities that impede their ability to work and increase risk of suffering serious injuries. One of the major age-related diseases is arthritis, which currently accounts for about 40% of disability cases in agriculture nationwide. The effect of arthritis on farmers is profound because it reduces their physical strength, joint range of motion and is a source of joint pain, all culminating in the lack of ability to perform routine activities regularly and safely. One way to decrease the rate of injuries is by reducing the strength and joint loading required to perform these activities through the use of wearable robotics. As opposed to existing solutions that focus only on injury prevention, this thesis will present an active, knee-assist exoskeleton intent on providing 30% of the necessary joint rotation force to perform activities such as sit-to-stand actions and the ascent/descent of stairs and hills. The device will be a lightweight, unobtrusive cable-driven exoskeleton actuated by distally-worn electric motors. We hope that use of the exoskeleton will result in increased ranges of motion and overall reduction of stress on the wearer’s body, which will minimize the effects of arthritis and ultimately improve safety and quality of life.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:22167en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/93531en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectActive Exoskeletonen
dc.subjectCapability augumentationen
dc.subjectassistive deviceen
dc.subjectKneeen
dc.titleDesign and Prototype of an Active Knee Exoskeleton to Aid Farmers with Mobility Limitationsen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineMechanical Engineeringen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Wood_EA_T_2019.pdf
Size:
12.61 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Masters Theses