A bio-inspired condylar knee joint for leg amputees and for knee implants

This paper presents a novel bio-inspired condylar prosthetic knee joint developed at the University of Bristol. The bio-inspired condylar joint mimics the structure and biomechanics of the human knee joint. The joint contains an inverted parallelogram four-bar mechanism combined with a cam mechanism. The joint has a favourable mechanical advantage compared to a hinge joint. The joint is also compact and robust. An adult-sized prototype joint has been designed and tested. The prototype joint contains a long cable for the ligaments with a mechanism for adjusting preload. Compared to other prosthetic joints, the condylar joint has the advantages that it is simple and closely mimics human biomechanics. The paper presents the design of the new artificial knee joint and presents some of the test results. The joint can be used in artificial legs and also for knee implants.