Foot Drop Gait: Analysis and Assistive Torque Design

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dc.contributor.advisorGhorbel, Fathi H.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberFregly, B.J.
dc.creatorZhang, Sichao
dc.date.accessioned2019-05-16T19:31:21Z
dc.date.available2019-05-16T19:31:21Z
dc.date.created2019-05
dc.date.issued2019-04-19
dc.date.submittedMay 2019
dc.date.updated2019-05-16T19:31:21Z
dc.description.abstractFoot drop is a gait abnormality where patients slap the ground with the front foot at initial contact instead of the heel. Most of the time, this problem is caused by neurological disorder. The muscle tibialis anterior, which is responsible for dorsiflexion and picking up the foot when contacting the ground, will be most affected. Various assistive devices have been developed to solve the foot drop problem. Most of their design is based on the concept of preventing toe dragging and picking up the foot at initial contact, which are the two main features of the problem. This thesis proposes a simulation-based method to analyze the foot drop problem and explore assistive device torque designs to address it. A neuro-musculo-skeletal dynamic model for human locomotion that consists of 8 body parts, 20 muscles and 7 pairs of neural oscillators, is used to generate a normal gait pattern. This model was used as the basis for analyzing the foot drop gait and studying assistive device torque designs. Several metrics that characterize foot drop, such as joint motion profiles of lower limb and walking sequence, have been developed. The foot drop gait model that was produced in this thesis reproduced the muscular and neural aspects and was successfully checked against the developed foot drop metrics. With this model, different assistive device torque scenarios were studied and analyzed.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationZhang, Sichao. "Foot Drop Gait: Analysis and Assistive Torque Design." (2019) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105427">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105427</a>.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/105427
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectFoot Drop Gait
dc.subjectHuman Walking Model
dc.subjectFoot Drop Metrics
dc.subjectFoot Drop Gait Reproduction
dc.subjectAssistive Torque Design
dc.titleFoot Drop Gait: Analysis and Assistive Torque Design
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentMechanical Engineering
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineering
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science
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