The authors present a control system for a pair of powered prostheses that leverages communication between the devices in order to enhance awareness and improve stability for the user. The control system is implemented on a pair of powered knee and ankle prostheses previously developed by the authors and tested on a healthy subject using able body adapters. The healthy subject also walked on a pair of passive prostheses, with both cases being monitored through motion capture. The kinematic data from the powered system closely match those seen in healthy subjects and show a marked improvement over the passive devices.

This paper describes a level walking controller for a powered ankle prosthesis. The controller was implemented on a powered prosthesis prototype and evaluated on a healthy subject by means of able-bodied adapters on a treadmill walking at 1.2 m/s (4.3 km/h). The ankle joint kinematics provided by the powered prosthesis were compared to that provided by a passive (dynamic elastic response) prosthesis, and both compared to the typical kinematics of healthy gait. The comparison indicates the powered prosthesis better reproduces the kinematics of healthy gait, relative to the passive prosthesis. The torque, energy transfer, and power provided by the powered prosthesis were additionally compared to that of a typical healthy subject.