Beyond Control: The First Untethered Power-Assist AFO

What do paintball pistols, earth movers, and a first-of-its-kind orthosis prototype have in common? They’re all driven by fluid power, the technology that allows engineers to vastly magnify human or mechanical strength by harnessing the physics of compressed fluids (hydraulics) or gases (pneumatics). Though these technologies are integrated into a variety of powered-orthosis prototypes currently under development across the country, all but one of these devices are leashed to external electricity sources and computing power. In contrast, the Portable Power-Assist AFO is the world’s first cordless (i.e., untethered) power-assisted AFO. Because it carries its own “muscles and brain,” it is able to benefit patients in a far greater variety of situations. The AFO is intriguing in another way as well: it represents an unusual collaboration between heavy industrial interests and O&P through a rare grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).