From conventional prosthetic feet to bionic feet: A review study

In general, prosthetic feet can be classified in three categories. These are, following the time line: Conventional Feet (CF), Energy-Storing-and-Returning (ESR) feet, and recent so-called dasiabionicpsila feet. Research studies have shown enhanced performance properties of ESR feet compared to early CF. However, even with the advanced technology today, none of the ESR feet is capable of significantly reducing energy cost of walking or enhancing amputeepsilas gait pattern. From the 1990s gradually more attention has been paid to the incorporation of active elements in prosthetics as passive devices are not capable of providing the amputee with sufficient ankle power during gait. Most of these bionic devices are still on research level nowadays but one can expect that they will become available on the market soon. In this paper, the evolution of prosthetic feet over the last two decades is reflected. The importance of mimicking human ankle biomechanics in prosthetic foot design is discussed. Prior work on both objective and subjective evaluation of TT (transtibial = through the lower leg) amputee gait when fitted with different prosthetic feet is reported.