We are involved in several projects meant to bring the power of computer methods to prosthetics and orthotics. Principally, we felt computer technology would initially have the most impact on prosthetics and orthotics in the areas of modeling and processing of body structures. Experiments using Kulite diaphragm strain gage transducers were conducted to measure surface pressures at key locations to validate the computer models.
Bench tests are under way to quantify the measuring capabilities of the transducers.
The material used in these bench tests must have characteristics similar to those of soft tissue so as to best simulate the experimental conditions of our prosthetic socket studies. Cylindrically shaped samples were made three inches in diameter and five inches high. Comparisons of pressures both measured and predicted by FEA will be made with the theoretical solution of each bench test configuration in order to quantify the performances of the transducers and the computer modeling techniques. The Maximum Likelihood method was deemed unsuitable for use in a practical setting due to its complexity. It required the numerical computation of a double integral of a very sharp exponential function, which made it very unstable.