KTmfk shows the influence of incorrect, idealized ankle axes to the design process of orthoses at CMBBE23 in Paris
Structural optimization programs are used at the KTmfk during the design of ankle foot orthoses using lightweight construction methods. For this purpose, the load cases must be known exactly. The loads that occur are currently determined within musculoskeletal human model simulation programs using preconfigured, generic skeletal models. However, in these the joint axes are often idealized and thus not adapted to the patient to be treated. Due to the individual position and orientation of the joint axes, an error consequently occurs when calculating the inverse kinematics, which can lead to incorrect design proposals during the downstream design with topology optimization software. At this year’s 18th International Symposium on Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering (CMBBE), this fact was pointed out and at the same time a simple, inexpensive and non-hazardous method for identifying the ankle joint axis was presented.