University Honors

The ability to perform athletic activities is often limited for individuals with lower limb mobility issues due to the sustained physical demands required to maintain bent knee postures for extended periods of time. This research explores the development of a lightweight and wearable soft pneumatic actuator which aims to address this issue. The actuator design consists of an inflatable bladder encased within a fabric sleeve, with the sleeve opening secured by 3D-printed end caps. When inflated, the actuator resists bending to provide supportive assistance, while deflation allows for unrestricted movement. Positioned behind the knee, the actuator aims to deliver adaptive support that enables users to comfortably maintain physically demanding postures for longer durations. The performance of the actuator will be characterized using a custom test setup. This setup includes a force sensor that will accurately measure the force generated by the actuator at a range of different pressures and angles. Testing various sizes, shapes, and materials will allow us to choose ideal designs for certain desired characteristics. Future works will include further evaluation which will be done by analyzing the body position changes of a user during a sustained squatting task in order to compare the exerted effort of a user with and without the actuator assistance. The ultimate goal of this research is to enhance accessibility and participation in physically demanding activities for individuals with lower limb mobility impairments.