The goal of The Adaptive Knee Brace is to design an assistive knee brace for elderly patients with severe Osteoarthritis in the knee joint. Since Gate Rehabilitation is a common rehabilitation method for patients with severe knee osteoarthritis, the assistive brace will be designed with the motions of gate rehabilitation in mind. In order to allow this brace to assist in the gate rehabilitation cycle, it will reduce the varying load on the knee (based on the angle of the knee through the gate cycle) which in turn should reduce some pain in the knee. Additionally, the device will require less strength from the patient’s muscles surrounding the knee in order to bear the given load of the user. This will allow the patient to perform gate rehabilitation easier with less pain and better motion.

Problem Statement

Develop an assistive device to alleviate symptoms caused by knee osteoarthritis for elderly patients, aged 60-90 years old, by reducing contact forces in the knee in order to assist in gait rehabilitation.