Conceptual Design of Bionic Foot for Transtibial

Prosthesis
Ade Reza Ismawan R. Ismail R. Novriansyah
Department of Mechanical Department of Mechanical Department of Orthopaedic and
2021 IEEE International Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology Conference (IBITeC) | 978-1-6654-4179-7/21/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/IBITeC53045.2021.9649405

Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Traumatology, Dr. Kariadi Hospital,
Diponegoro University, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia Center for Biomechanics Biomaterials
Center for Biomechanics Biomaterials Center for Biomechanics Biomaterials Biomechatronics and Biosignal
Biomechatronics and Biosignal Biomechatronics and Biosignal processing (CBIOM3S),
processing (CBIOM3S), processing (CBIOM3S), Diponegoro University,
Diponegoro University Diponegoro University Semarang, Indonesia
Semarang, Indonesia Semarang, Indonesia novriansyahrobin@gmail.com
aderezaismawan@gmail.com rifky_ismail@ft.undip.ac.id

B. Setiyana M. Ariyanto T. Prahasto

Mechanical Engineering Department. Mechanical Engineering Department. Mechanical Engineering Department.
Diponegoro University Diponegoro University Diponegoro University
Semarang, Indonesia Semarang, Indonesia Semarang, Indonesia
toniprahasto@lecturer.undip.ac.id toniprahasto@lecturer.undip.ac.id toniprahasto@lecturer.undip.ac.id

Abstract—The main way to restore limb function in transtibial
amputations is to use a transtibial prosthesis. Plantarflexion
and dorsiflexion are characteristics of the human ankle and
are also important considerations in designing a transtibial
prosthesis. Most commercial transtibial prostheses available in
Indonesia are passive transtibial prostheses, and users of
passive prostheses exhibit an asymmetrical gait pattern that
can cause musculoskeletal injuries. In addition, passive
prostheses cannot generate thrust like the human ankle and
consume more metabolic energy, so they tire quickly when
using them. Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis can overcome the
weakness of passive prosthesis because it can move in
dorsiflexion and plantarflexion and can provide repulsion
force during the heel-off and toe-off phases. This study aims to
design and analyze the strength of the Transtibial Bionic
Prosthesis prototype, morphological methods and decision
matrices are used in the selection of design concepts.
Lightweight aluminum 6061 was used as a material for
making transtibial prostheses. The design and strength
analysis in this study showed that the Transtibial Bionic
Prosthesis prototype was able to accept a maximum load of
100 kg and had a Range of Motion of 20° dorsiflexion and 30°
plantarflexion.
Keywords—musculoskeletal injury, passive prosthesis, transtibial
bionic prosthesis, actuator, range of motion
I. INTRODUCTION
The development of prosthetic limbs in Indonesia itself
lags far behind other countries. Transfemoral and transtibial
prostheses products in Indonesia are dominated by
expensive imported products, while prosthetic products
made in Indonesia are still conventionally made from rigid
fibers/polimers and function as cosmetics only, functionally
not fulfilling several foot abilities, such as dorsiflexion and
plantarflexion.
Almost all commercial transtibial legs sold in Indonesia
in particular are passive transtibial legs without actuators
[1], and studies have shown that people with passive legs
exhibit lameness or an asymmetrical gait pattern. People
with lower extremity amputations who use conventional
passive prostheses face a series of challenges related to
discomfort such as pain when walking as well as greater
strength in their unaffected legs and can therefore cause
secondary musculoskeletal injuries such as chronic joint
disorders [2,3].
Energy consumption is also a focus of consideration in
designing bionic legs, in which amputees using passive
prostheses can spend 20-30% more metabolic energy
walking at the same pace as an able-bodied person [4].
CBIOM3S Undip had produced bionic hands with different
product, size and linkage mechanism [5-7] which had been
successfully tested and implemented to study participants.
Now, the research is extended to study on bionic legs to
reduce the dominance of imported products in the health
sector and very few researchers are conducting research on
transtibial bionic prosthesis legs in Indonesia. The
contributions of this paper are (i) proposing the new design
of bionic foot for transtibial prosthesis, (ii) testing the new
design using finite element analysis to ensure the ability for
receiving the load and (iii) creating the first Indonesian
prototype of bionic foot with respect to Indonesian foot size.
During literature study, its was found that the advantage
of the transtibial bionic prothesis compared to the passive
transtibial foot. Transtibial bionic prothesis can produce a
push off repulsion force during plantarflexion of the
controlled actuator motion so that it moves like the motion
of a human ankle. Transtibial bionic prothesis can adjust the
position during the walking cycle phase. With the push off,
it is expected to reduce the asymmetric gait pattern which
can cause secondary musculoskeletal injuries such as
chronic joint disorders. With a push off, of course, it can
produce a propulsive force so that it can reduce the
metabolic energy consumption of amputees so that they are
not easily tired when using them.
Gait cycle is a functional series of human movement
when walking. This walking cycle has 8 phases, initial
contact, loading response, mid stance, terminal stance, pre-
swing, initial swing, mid swing and terminal swing.
Walking is a highly coordinated movement that is controlled
by the central nervous system. This goes on from the time
the right foot hits the floor until the right foot hits the floor
again. In one running cycle (Gait Cycle) consists of 2 main

978-1-6654-4179-7/21/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE

Page 124
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universiti Malaysia Perlis. Downloaded on January 06,2022 at 23:39:51 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
phases, namely the Stance phase and Swing Phase. The
stance phase is 60% and the swing phase is 40% where each
phase has its own stages [8].
The stance phase and swing phase are the most
important phases in the gait cycle because it is in this phase
that the legs and feet support the body's weight. When the
foot is in the loading response phase (foot flat), midstance,
and heel off, the foot experiences a single support phase and
the other leg is in the swing phase, so that the entire body
weight is supported by only one leg. In the midstance phase,
the foot and leg act as a stable foundation for weight
transfer. During the terminal stance and toe off phases, the
foot performs plantar flexion, resulting in Propulsive Force
(Fig. 1) during phase (push off) and produces a moment so
that it moves the body weight forward [9].
Fig. 1. Propulsive force due to the foot pushing off causing a moment
The transtibial prosthesis is designed to mimic the
characteristics of a normal human ankle. These
characteristics include plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, eversion,
and inversion. It is a characteristic produced by the ankle
during normal walking. In general, the ankle range of
motion is different. For a healthy ankle, normal motion is
presented in the figure [10].
a. Dorsiflexion is the movement of the ankle when it bends
upward at an angle of 5°-25°
b. Plantarflexion is the movement of the ankle when it
bends down at an angle of 10°- 45°
This study aims to design and analyze the strength of
the Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis prototype, morphological
methods and decision matrices are used in the selection of
design concepts. Lightweight aluminum 6061 is used as a
material for making prostheses.
II. STAGES IN PRODUCTS DESIGN
The success in designing a product depends on the
ability to identify customer needs, then precisely create
products that can meet those needs at a low cost. To make a
product, we usually go through some stages. In this paper,
the product design stage of transtibial bionic prosthesis
A. Problem Identification and Analysis of Existing
Products
The background of this research contains the problems
found in the existing products that are used as a basis for
improvement of products that are already available. This
research begins by studying existing products and existing
research. To get information about how it works, the
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universiti Malaysia Perlis. Downloaded on January 06,2022 at 23:39:51 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
components used, the type of material, the technology used
which will be useful when designing the transtibial bionic
prosthesis.
The existing products considered in this research are
the cosmetics foot manufactured by some small and medium
enterprises (SME) in Indonesia and non-motorized
prosthesis foot (imported products) applied to Indonesian
amputee. Two types of these prosthetic feet are commonly
used by Indonesian amputee.
B. Determining Product Objectives, Limitations, and
Technical Specifications.
Goals and limitations are needed so that we don't
overdo it in designing these products which will result in
high selling prices to consumers (reasonable prices). Market
research is needed to find out market tastes. From these
goals and limitations, we obtain specifications of the
components and materials that will be used.
The specification provides an exact description of what
the product should do. They are the translation of customer
requirements into technical terms. The output of this stage is
a list of target specifications. Customer desires are generally
expressed in "customer language". while such expressions
help in developing a clear understanding of the issues the
customer is interested in, they provide little specific
guidance on how to design products.
C. Concept Development
The purpose of concept development is to provide
alternatives to product concepts that might meet customer
needs. The product concept is the result of combining
functions and sub-functions. The product concept is a
description or estimate of the form, technology, working
principle of the product.
The goal of drafting the concept is to explore further the
area of product concepts that may suit consumer needs. The
product concept is a brief description of how the product
satisfies consumer needs. The results of this activity are
usually in the form of several or even tens of concepts, each
of which is usually represented by a sketch and a short
descriptive text.
D. Design with Morphological Methods
The main purpose of this method is to expand research into
new solutions to be selected. Morphology in question is
studying a shape or characteristic and is a systematic effort
in analysing the shape contained in the product to be
designed.
From several possible alternative choices found, then
the final solution is chosen which is the best choice for the
concept of a product. The product concept is obtained by
making a combination of sub-function solutions, namely one
solution for each sub-function.
E. Selection of Concepts and Decision Matrix
Concept selection is an activity where various concepts
are analysed successively, then eliminated to identify the
most promising concepts. Concept selection is also an
Page 125
evaluation process of several existing concepts that ar1e in Determine Design Parameters
accordance with the criteria specified in meeting consumer
needs. 3. Weight of existing Transtibial Bionic
In this selection, comparisons are made on the strengths Prosthesis 1.3-2.3 kg
and weaknesses of each concept and take one of them that is
considered worthy for further development. C. Flowchart of the Research

F. 3D Modeling of Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis

The flowchart is depicted in Fig. 3.
making a model using Autodesk Fusion 360 software.
The design form of the Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis refers
START
to the anatomy of the human ankle which has an axis of
rotation at the Lateral Malleolus ankle and has the Achilles
Tendon located behind which its function is replaced by a Literature
Linear Actuator. The next step is making a mock-up of a study of
existing
transtibial bionic prosthesis prototype using a rapid products

prototyping machine.

III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Determining products goal Collecting the Indonesian Determining deisgn
and limitation foot size using 3D Scanner parameters
A. Collecting the Indonesian Foot Size Stage
In this data collection stage, the data collected is used as
a basis in the design process, determining the specific
dimensions of the patient for the design of the geometry of
Proposing the conceptual
the ankle height and foot length. A sample from the patient's design of bionic foot
foot ankle geometry is scanned a 3D scan. The real
geometry model of a patient’s foot ankle is used to
determine the transtibial bionic prosthesis dimension. This Propose the design
Considering the material
real geometry of the transtibial foot has an impact on patient and mechanical system
Product design limitation concept using
morphological method
comfort when using it. The scanning process is depicted in
Fig. 2.
Propose the design
Draw complete version of
Selecting the concepts concept using
3D model
morphological method

Finite element analysis in

Testing the movement of
Creating the protype considering the ability in
the prototype
carrying load

Fig. 2. Scanning with 3D Scanner Eiscan Pro 2X Plus

FINISH

B. Determination of Design Parameters

In this stage, the parameters are determined as a Fig. 3. Flowchart of this research
reference and the design criteria are determined as a
condition for the use of the Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
(Table 1).
A. Determination of Product Specifications
TABLE I. DESIGN PARAMETERS Product technical specifications are a precise
description of how the product works. It is a translation of
Determine Design Parameters
customer requirements into technical needs:
1. Bionic legs (Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis) are able to
1. The average weight of Indonesian men aged
accept a maximum body weight of 100 kg.
16-64 years is 60 kg, while the average
weight of Indonesian women aged 19-64 2. The use of Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis when walking
years is 56 kg, therefore the Transtibial and active can perform dorsiflexion 5°-25° and
Research
Bionic Prosthesis must be able to safely plantarflexion 10°-45°
Parameter
support a maximum load of 100 kg. 3. Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis is designed with actuator
and control system
2. The material used is Aluminum Alloy 6061
which has an Elasticity Modulus value of E =
68.9 GPa, Poisson's ratio = 0.33, and Yield
Strength y = 275 MPa.

Page 126
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universiti Malaysia Perlis. Downloaded on January 06,2022 at 23:39:51 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
B. Product Design Limitations
1. The design of the bionic leg or Transtibial Bionic
Prosthesis is intended for lower-knee amputation patients
who still have 50% butts.
2. Research on the prototype design of the Transtibial
Bionic Prosthesis is currently being used for normal
walking purposes.
3. The age limit for users of the Bionic Foot (Transtibial
Bionic Prosthesis) is 16-64 years old with an average
body weight of 60 kg,
4. The weight of the Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis does not
exceed 2.3883 kg which is the weight of the leg below
the knee, which is 5.7% of the human weight.
C. Design with Morphological Methods
The following is a morphological matrix of the
Transtibial Bionic Prothesis which is a combination of
product concepts used to produce several variants of product
concepts that may be made, see Table 2.
D. Development of the Design Concept of Transtibial
Bionic Prosthesis
The design of the Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis refers to
the anatomy of the human ankle which has an axis of
rotation at the malleolus lateral ankle and has an Achilles
Tendon which is replaced by an actuator.
1. First Product Concept Development
Fig. 4 shows the first Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis
concept uses carbon fiber (carbon fiber composite) on the
frame and foot, this carbon fiber material has the advantage
of being light in weight but strong. This Transtibial Bionic
foot is equipped with a control system to regulate the
movement of the foot following the movement during the
walking cycle phase. This transtibial bionic leg is equipped
with an actuator (linear actuator set) whose products can be
easily found in Indonesia. The linear actuator functions as a
substitute for the Achilles Tendon muscle so that it can
move in dorsiflexion and plantarflexion.

TABLE II. MATRIX MORPHOLOGY OF TRANSTIBIAL BIONIC

PROSTHESIS

Sub Sub sub

Sub sub sub function
Function function
A. Frame A.1 Carbon Composite
material A.2 Alumunium 6061
selection A.3 Alumunium 7075
Material A.4 Stainless Steel
Type
B.1 Carbon Composite
B. Foot
B.2 Alumunium 6061 Fig. 4. First concept design of transtibial bionic prosthesis
Material
B.3 Stainless Steel
C. Actuator C.1 Linier actuator Set
2. Second Product Concept Development
D.1 Brushed DC Motor
This second Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis/ Bionic
D.2 Brushless DC Motor
ankle-foot prosthesis/ Powered Ankle-foot prosthesis uses
D.3 Gearbox
D. Customized D.4 Timing Belt
6061 Aluminum material for the frame and foot, Aluminum
Actuator D.5 Helical gear
6061 has the advantages of being light, strong, good
corrosion resistance, and formability (Fig. 5), and good
D.6 Lead Screw
Mechanical machinability and is widely available in the market.
System D.7 Ball Screw Aluminum 6061 is commonly used in the automotive
D.8 Roller Screw industry, food and beverage packaging industry, and bicycle
E.1 Single Link frames.
E. Link E.2 Multilink
This Transtibial Bionic foot is equipped with a control
system to regulate the movement of the foot following the
F.1 Non Spring
F.2 Shock Absorber movement during the walking cycle phase. This transtibial
F. Absorber
F.3 Carbon Spring bionic leg is equipped with a customized actuator whose
products can be easily found in Indonesia. Using a brushless
The next step after making a morphological matrix is to DC motor, for transmission using a gearbox and lead screw
so that it can move translationally so that it can move
create a combination of alternative concepts by compiling
dorsiflexion and plantarflexion.
these concepts and then comparing them one by one.
Making alternative product concepts can be arranged based
on Table 2, resulting in several variants of the concept as
seen in Table 3.

TABLE III. CONCEPT VARIANTS

Concept Concept Variants

Concept 1 A1 + B1 + C1 + E1 +F1

Concept 2 A2 + B2 + D2 + D3 +D6 + E1 +F1

Fig. 5. Second concept design of transtibial bionic prosthesis

Page 127
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universiti Malaysia Perlis. Downloaded on January 06,2022 at 23:39:51 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
E. Development Concept Selection With Decision Matrix
The decision-making matrix method, which is also
known as the Pugh method, from several alternative product
concepts that are made, one of them must be chosen as the
product concept to be made. In choosing the best product
concept, a method using a decision matrix is used as
presented on Table 4. For each alternative product concept
is assigned a value. The highest value is 10. Then from the
assessment, the product concept chosen is the product
concept that has the highest value. The highest value is
owned by the second concept, it will be continued with 3D
modeling and prototyping.
TABLE IV. CONCEPT SELECTION BASED ON DECISION ASSESSMENT
MATRIX
G. Prototyping of Trantibial Bionic Prosthesis with 3D
Printed Material
After making the 3D model drawing, followed by
making and assembling a prototype with PLA material, to
find out the mechanisms and constraints before making a
prototype with 6061 aluminum material. After assembling
the transtibial bionic prosthesis prototype it was tested and
was able to produce a maximum elevation angle of
dorsiflexion and plantarflexion exceeding the data
maximum walking cycle for Indonesians [11], so that the
prototype falls within the range of normal walking
dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of Indonesians. The 3D
prototype is depicted in Fig. 7. The simulation of the range
of motion of the prototype can be seen in Table 5.

Concept
No Criteria
Wt K-1 K-2

1. Have good strength 10 10 9

2. Light weight material 9 9 8
Good Formability and
3. 9 5 9
Machinability
Wide range of motion Plantarflexion
4. 8 7 7
Dorsiflexion
Affordable prices
5. 8 5 8
(materials and production)
Total 36 41

F. Selected Concepts and 3D Model Drawings

Based on the assessment with the decision matrix
criteria, the concept with the highest value as the chosen
concept was obtained, namely concept 2 with a value of 41
from total value of 44. See Fig. 6 for the 2D design.
Fig. 7. Manufacture and assembly of prototype Transtibial Bionic
Prosthesis
H. Analysis With Ansys Software Load 1000 N
Loading analysis with FEM simulation on Ansys, this
analysis is to simulate the strength of the material when
receiving a static load, the material parameter used is
Aluminum 6061. Static analysis with Ansys in Fig. 8 with a
loading parameter of 100 kg with a thickness variable of
12.5 cm shows a von Mises stress of 9.8 MPa, below the
yield strength of Yield Strength y = 275 MPa and the
deformation that occurs is elastic deformation, so the
material is Al 6061 with a thickness of 12.5 cm capable and
safe to accept a load of 1000 N.

Fig. 6. The 2D drawing of the second concept of transtibial bionic

prosthesis as the selected concept

TABLE V. RANGE OF MOTION OF THE BIONIC PROSTHESIS DURING

SIMULATION

ROM
Maximum angle when
Movement transtibial
walking normally
characteristics bionic
Indonesian people Fig. 8. FEM analysis with 1000 N loading parameters 12.5 cm thick
prosthesis
Ankle
5 °-10° 10-20°
Dorsiflexion
Ankle
10°-20 ° 20-30°
Plantarflexion

Page 128
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universiti Malaysia Perlis. Downloaded on January 06,2022 at 23:39:51 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 Making a prototype based on CAD reconstruction of arthritic, and replaced human ankle joint," J Foot Ankle Res. 2014;
7(1), pp. 8. Feb 2014.
the patient's existing foot is the easiest way to measure the [11] A. I. Mahyuddin, S. Mihradi, T. Dirgantara, M. Moeliono, & T.
ankle height and foot length which will later be used as a Prabowo, Development of Indonesian Gait Database using 2D Optical
reference in designing the transtibial bionic prosthesis foot Motion Analyzer System, ASEAN Engineering Journal, 2 , 62-72,
to be specific to the patient's foot size. The process always 2012
starts from the scan, then the scan data is converted into
CAD for reconstruction. The results in this study are still a
prototype made from Polylactic Acid (PLA) material to find
out the mechanisms and constraints when assembled and
tested. and this prototype is not yet equipped with a trigger,
it can only move in dorsiflexion and plantarflexion based on
the on-off switch button.

V. CONCLUSION
In this study, a prototype Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis
was designed for patients with transtibial amputation below
the knee. The conclusions from the results of this study are
explained as follows. First, this research has produced a
Prototype Transtibial Bionic Prosthesis that uses a close
loop control system without a trigger that can move 10-20°
dorsiflexion and 20-30° plantarflexion like the human gait
cycle, exceeding the ROM limit in the range of the journal
Biomechanics of the natural , arthritic, and replaced human
ankle joint. Second, static analysis using Ansys software
shows the Transtibial Prosthesis is able and safe to accept
loads up to 100 kg.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors acknowledge to LPPM Diponegoro
University for providing the research fund for this research
based on Riset Pengembangan dan Penerapan the contract
number: 233-131/UN7.6.1/PP/2021.

REFERENCES
[1] Q. Wang, K. Yuan, J. Zhu, L. Wang, "Walk the walk: a lightweight
active transtibial prosthesis," IEEE Robotics & Automation
Magazine, 2015, pp. 143–155, 2000.
[2] D.C. Norvell, J.M. Czerniecki, G.E. Reiber, C. Maynard, J.A.
Pecoraro, N.S. Weiss, "The prevalence of knee pain and symptomatic
knee osteoarthritis among veteran traumatic amputees and
nonamputees," Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2005, 86:487–493, 2005.
[3] T.D. Royer, C.A. Wasilewsk, "Hip and knee frontal plane moments in
persons with unilateral, trans-tibial amputation," Gait Posture,
23:303–306, 2006.
[4] J. Zhu, Q. Wang, and L. Wang, "On the design of a powered
transtibial prosthesis with stiffness adaptable ankle and toe joints,"
IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 2014.
[5] M. Ariyanto, R. Ismail, J.D. Setiawan, E.P. Yuandi,
"Anthropomorphic transradial myoelectric hand using tendon-spring
mechanism," Telkomnika. Feb 1;17(1):537-48, 2019.
[6] K.A. Pambudi, R. Ismail, M. Ariyanto, J.D. Setiawan, G.P. Annanto,
"Performance test of fingers on 3d printed myoelectric prosthetic
han,". 2019 International Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology
Conference (IBITeC) Oct 23 (Vol. 1, pp. 37-40). IEEE, 2019.
[7] G.P. Annanto, R. Ismail, I. Haryanto, M. Ariyanto, K.A. Pambudi,
K.A. Pranoto "Numerical analysis of stress and displacement on the
index finger of the prosthetic hand due to hook position," AIP
Conference Proceedings Vol. 2114, No. 1, p. 050017, Jun 2019.
[8] R. Seymour, “Prosthetics and orthotics - lower limb and spinal,”
Philadelpia : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002.
[9] H. Hsiao, “Mechanisms to increase propulsive force for individuals
poststroke,” Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 12, 40,
2015.
[10] A. Leardini, J.J. O'Connor, S. Giannini, "Biomechanics of the natural,

Page 129
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universiti Malaysia Perlis. Downloaded on January 06,2022 at 23:39:51 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.