There are many reasons why a rigid ankle foot orthosis (AFO) may be prescribed. In some cases it is desirable that the rigidity is sufficient to maintain a constant ankle position throughout the gait cycle. There is a need to determine a design of cosmetic, lightweight AFO that provides the necessary stiffness whilst being acceptable to the patient, encouraging continued wear with the resultant...

Toe-in gait and crouch gait can make children with mild cerebral palsy fall and suffer improper balance during walking or ambulation training. A customized external strap orthosis for correcting leg alignment was used to resolve this problem. The purpose of this study was to research the immediate effects while wearing the customized external strap orthosis. Pressure platform was used to assess...

A simple noncontact device was implemented for measuring the position of the distal residual limb relative to the prosthetic socket during ambulation. The device was a small and lightweight photoelectric sensor positioned within a frame mounted immediately beneath the socket. Calibration tests showed that the sensor had a displacement range of 60.0 mm. The root-mean-square error for all sources...

This paper is concerned with the determination of optimal sensor locations for structural modal identification in a strap-braced cold formed steel frame based on an improved genetic algorithm (IGA). Six different optimal sensor placement performance indices have been taken as the fitness functions two based on modal assurance criterion (MAC), two based on maximization of the determinant of a Fi...

AIMS: Pressure injuries (PIs) are common issues that can be minimized through the use of pressure-redistributing support surfaces. Cushions provide immersion and contour considered most effective for pressure relief; however, others readily available on market. The aim this study is to determine how a wheelchair equipped with Comfort Tension Seating®(CTS) compares standard sling seating...