• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.1070-1073
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• 2002

The biomechanical interaction between the stump and the prosthetic socket is critically important to achieve close-to-normal ambulation. Many investigators suggested that the pressure changes during gait of transfemoral amputees are closely related to the prosthetic alignment, the socket shape, the stump size, and the residual muscle activity. The effects of the prosthetic alignment, the socket shape, and the stump size on the interface pressure were investigated previously. However, there is no report how the residual muscle activities in the transfemoral stump affect the socket interface pressure characteristics during gait. Since designs of socket fur lower limb amputees need to consider the socket interface pressure characteristics, the interface pressure patterns by the residual muscle activities during gait should be investigated. In this study, myoelectric signals (MES) and socket interface pressure in residual limb of transfemoral amputees were measured during the stance and swing phases of gait. For the purpose, specially designed quadrilateral sockets that MES electrodes could be instrumented were fabricated. A total of two transfemoral amputees were participated in the experiments. The measured temporal MES amplitude and interface pressure in knee flexor (biceps femoris) and extensor (rectus femoris) had significant correlations (P ＜ 0.05). Based on the test results, It was suggested that the residual muscle activity of transfemoral amputees stump is an important factor affecting socket pressure changes during walk.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.24 no.8 s.197
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• pp.130-137
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• 2007

The optimized prosthetic mass distribution was a controversial problem in the previous studies because they are not supported by empirical evidence. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of prosthetic mass properties by modeling musculoskeletal system, based on the gait analysis data from two above-knee amputees. The joint torque at hip joint was calculated using inverse dynamic analysis as the mass was changed in knee and foot prosthetic components with the same joint kinematics. The results showed that the peak flexion and abduction torque at the hip joint were 5 Nm and 15 Nm when the mass of the knee component was increased, greater than the peak flexion and abduction torque of the control group at the hip joint, respectively. On the other hand, when the mass of the foot component was increased, the peak flexion and abduction torque at the hip joint were 20 Nm and 15 Nm, greater than the peak flexion and abduction torque of the control, respectively. The hip flexion torque was 4.71-fold greater and 7.92-fold greater than the hip abduction torque for the knee mass increase and the foot mass increase on the average, respectively. Therefore, we could conclude that the effect of foot mass increase was more sensitive than that of knee mass increase for the hip flexion torque. On the contrary, the mass properties of the knee and foot components were not sensitive for the hip abduction torque. In addition, optimized prosthetic mass and appropriate mass distributions were needed to promote efficiency of rehabilitation therapy with consideration of musculoskeletal systems of amputees.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.651-656
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• 2011

Although prosthetic training was received, most of amputees mainly depend on visual feedback to use prostheses, not on cutaneous and proprioceptive sensibility. Our objective of this study was to determine if there are changes in the somatosensory sensibility of amputees compared to non-amputees using multi-channel vibration stimulation system. One transradial amputees and ten non-amputees were involved. To investigate changes of residual somatosensory sensibility at stump, we set up custom-made vibration stimulation system including eight actuators (4 medial and 4 lateral) and GUI-based acquisition system. The results showed that there was similar pattern of subjective response at most of channels among group as stimulation increases. However, amputees' subjective response at channel 8 for 238Hz vibration was more sensitive than that of healthy persons. With respect to channels, response at channel 4 (medial) corresponding region to flexor carpi ulnaris for transradial amputees was most sensitive than other channels. In addition, sensitivity of four medial channels was on average about 0.5 scale than that of four lateral channels. Somatosensory sensibility was amputee, women, and men in sensibility order.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 2009

Purpose: The authors evaluated the clinical results and prognosis after amputating the lower extremity due to diabetic foot. Materials and Methods: From 1991 to 2003, the patients who had suffered amputation of his lower extremity due to diabetic foot ulcer were evaluated retrospectively. 79 patients were male and 6 patients were female. The author evaluated the patient who had the ipsilateral additional surgery, contralateral amputation, level of blood sugar, combined disease and mortality rate within 5 years from medical record. Statistical analysis was done by Chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier survival test. Results: Mean age of patients who had first experienced amputation was 63.4 years old. The mean duration of diabetes until amputation was $14.5{\pm}7.5$ years. Major amputations were 50 cases and minor amputations 35 cases. 20 patients (23.5%) were suffered ipsilateral secondary surgery including revised stump. Overall 5-year mortality rate was 18.8% (16 cases). Death rate within 1 year was 8.2% (7 cases), mortality rate within 3 years was 14.1% (12 cases). 5-year mortality rate after major amputation was 20% (10 cases) and after minor amputation was 17.1% (6 cases). It was statistically significant (p<0.05). Patient who underwent more than 2 combined vascular related disease had higher mortality rate than diabetic amputee without combined disease (p<0.05). Conclusion: Mortality rate after major amputation was significant higher than amputation after minor amputation in diabetic patients from our data.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.543-550
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• 2001

In this study, ground reaction force(GRF) and energy consumption of fixed. single-axis and multi-axis Prosthetic ankle assemblies were investigated to show the biomechanical evaluation for trans-tibial amputees. In the experiments. two male and two female trans-tibial amputees were tested with fixed, sin91e-axis and multi-axis Prosthetic ankle assembly. A three-dimensional gait analysis was carried out to derive the ratio of GRF to weight as the percentage of total stance Phase for nine Points Energy consumption of each Prosthetic ankle assembly was measured while subjects walked at 2km/h. 3km/h and the most comfortable walking speed on the treadmill The results showed that multi-axis ankle was superior to the other two ankle assemblies for the characteristic of forwarding and breaking forces. Fixed ankle was relatively superior to the other two ankle assemblies for gait balancing and movement of the center fur mass Compared to the other ankle assembly. sing1e-axis type showed lower energy consumption over 2.3km/h walking speed .

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.705-710
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• 2012

Research involving discomfort or pain related to haptic vibratory stimulation the for prosthesis users of myoelectrical hand is very lacking. Our objective of this study was to evaluate the displeasure and sensitivity of areas in forearm using vibration stimulation system between upper limb amputees and non-amputees. Twenty transradial amputees and forty non-amputees (20 youth, 20 elderly) were involved. We set up custom-made vibration stimulation system including eight actuators (4 medial parts and 4 lateral parts) and GUI-based acquisition system, to investigate changes of residual somatosensory sensibility and displeasure at proximal 25% of forearm. Eight vibration actuators were attached to the circumference of proximal 25% point of forearm at regular intervals. Sensitivity tests were used to stimulate the 120Hz and discomfort experiment was used to 37 ~ 223Hz. The subjective responses were evaluated by 10 point scale. The results showed that both groups were similar in sensitive areas. Response at around of radius was most sensitive than other areas in all subjects. Elderly group do not appear discomfort of vibrotactile; however, youth group and amputee presented discomfort of vibrotactile. Prosthesis with a vibrotactile feedback system should be developed considering the sensitivity. Furthermore, Future studies should investigate the scope of application of that principle.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.393-399
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• 2023

Upper limb amputees wear an upper limb prosthesis for both aesthetic purposes and functional necessity, and in particular, in the case of amputee with both hands, it is essential to wear a myoelectric prosthetic hand capable of gripping action. The prosthetic hand operated by the EMG signal of the remaining muscles is a public insurance benefit item of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance, and test method standards are needed to be developed for the safety of the user and the effectiveness of the product performance. In this study, we developed systems for measuring the gripping force of myoelectric hand prosthesis by a load cell and for durability test of the prosthesis over repeated use with a proximity sensor, and propose a test method standard. Since the international test method standard has not yet been established, it is expected that Korea will be able to play a leading role in this standardization field in the future.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.84
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• pp.99-123
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• 2017

We analyzed the movie (2016/ directed by J-yong E), which is entangled in politics of gender, age, class, or sexuality, naming as "spaces of Others", using the concepts of heterotopia of Foucault. Foucault addressed three types of spaces: the realistic space where we currently live, the unrealistic and non-existent utopia, and heterotopia, which functions antithetically to reality. Thus, Foucault's heterotopia can be considered to indicate "heterogeneous spaces" in reality. The Bacchus Lady revolves a 65-year old prostitute So-Young, sells her body to old men at the parks in downtown of Seoul. Old prostitute on streets are often referred as "Bacchus Ladies", because suggest the popular energy drink a bottle of Bacchus while selling sex. The movie represents some minorities such as transgender, Tina and madam of the club, G-spot, migrant women like Camila and Aindu, and a amputee, Dohoon. Through these people's bodies, the problems such as imperials, nations, ethnics, gender, age, class are entangled in the movie. The politics of these points work and construct heterotopias in four spaces of Others. First, the spaces which ageing and death are intersected. Second, the spaces of So-Young for prostitutes, Third, the spaces of So-Young's mothering: she adopted her baby to American when he was a infant, so she have felt guilty. Fourth, the spaces for So-young's quasi-family with Minho, a Kopian boy who was abandoned by Korean father, Dohoon, who is a poor amputee, and Tina, who is a transgender singer. Fifth, the spaces of speech of So-Young as the subaltern: the subaltern does not have the language to express its own experiences. In order to listen to the words of subaltern, we must do the task of measuring the silence. This cinematic representation of So-young as the subaltern makes her speak about her situation. Finally, the spaces constructed by the movie can be connected 'heterotopia of crisis', 'heterotopia of deviation' and 'heterotopia of fantasy'. The spaces of the movie represents lives of Others, nevertheless, So-Young's Otherness through spaces of heterotopia was transformed to an absolute Other by patriarchal traits of cinematic narrative.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 2017

In this paper, we propose a gait pattern recognition method for intelligent prosthesis that enables walking in various environments of femoral amputees. The proposed gait mode changing method is a single sensor based algorithm which can discriminate gait surface and gait phase using only strain gauges sensor, and it is designed to simplify the algorithm based on multiple sensors of existing intelligent prosthesis and to reduce cost of prosthesis system. For the recognition algorithm, we analyzed characteristics of the ground reaction force generated during gait of normal person and defined gait step segmentation and gait detection condition, A gait analyzer was constructed for the gait experiment in the environment similar to the femoral amputee. The validity of the paper was verified through the defined detection conditions and fabricated instruments. The accuracy of the algorithm based on the single sensor was 95%. Based on the proposed single sensor-based algorithm, it is considered that the intelligent prosthesis system can be made inexpensive, and the user can directly grasp the state of the walking surface and shift the walking mode. It is confirmed that it is possible to change the automatic walking mode to switch the walking mode that is suitable for the walking mode.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.71-78
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• 2006

This study examined the effects of socket flexion angle in trans-tibial prosthesis on stump/socket interface pressure. Ten trans-tibial amputees voluntarily participated in this study. F-socket system was used to measure static and dynamic pressure in stump/socket interface. The pressure was measured at anterior area (proximal, middle, and distal) and posterior area (proximal, middle, and distal) in different socket flexion angles ($5^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$, and $10^{\circ}$). Paired t-test was used to compare pressure differences in conventional socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$ with pressures in socket flexion angles of $0^{\circ}$ and $10^{\circ}$ (${\alpha}$=.05). Mean pressure during standing in socket flexion angle of $10^{\circ}$ decreased significantly in anterior middle area (19.7%), posterior proximal area (10.4%), and posterior distal area (16.3%) compared with socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$. Mean pressure during stance phase in socket flexion angle of $0^{\circ}$ increased significantly in anterior proximal area (19.3%) and decreased significantly in anterior distal area (19.7%) compared with socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$. Mean pressure during stance phase in socket flexion angle of $10^{\circ}$ decreased significantly in anterior proximal area (19.6%) and increased significantly in anterior distal area (8.2%) compared with socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$. Peak pressure during gait in socket flexion angle of $0^{\circ}$ increased significantly in anterior proximal area (23.0%) compared with socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$ and peak pressure during gait in socket flexion angle of $10^{\circ}$ decreased significantly in anterior proximal area (22.7%) compared with socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$. Mean pressure over 80% of peak pressure ($MP_{80+}$) during gait in socket flexion angle of $0^{\circ}$ increased significantly in anterior proximal area (23.9%) and decreased significantly in anterior distal area (22.5%) compared with socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$. $MP_{80+}$ during gait in socket flexion angle of $10^{\circ}$ decreased significantly in anterior distal area (34.1%) compared with socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$. Asymmetrical pressure change patterns in socket flexion angle of $0^{\circ}$ and $10^{\circ}$ were revealed in anterior proximal and distal region compared with socket flexion angle of $5^{\circ}$. To provide comfortable and safe socket for trans-tibial amputee, socket flexion angle must be considered.