Stance control knee joint

Human mobility is not only at risk when one is involved in an accident. Athletes, players, basketball players or football players to name a few, are reliant on good mobility to allow them to perform the roles in their team effectively. Anything that limits human mobility, more so of the lower limbs is extremely disadvantageous to the affected person. Fortunately, the 2008 NASA spinoff developed a lockable knee brace that can benefit those with lower limb mobility issues. The Marshall Space Flight Centre is in charge of developing crucial propulsion and transportation technologies for NASA (NASA Spinoff). In addition, the knee brace would also re-engage for stability purposes during heel strike (NASA Spinoff). With the original design from Marshall, Horton still required at least seven years to design, develop and test his idea of the knee brace before introducing it to the market (NASA Spinoff).

How it Works The result of seven years of work by Horton resulted in a design referred to as Stance Control Orthotic Knee Joint simply known, as SCOKJ (NASA Spinoff). The design was well-suited for people, patients with absent, or weak quadriceps. In addition, SCOKJ would also suit those with any form of knee instability. SCOKJ works by locking the knee when the heel strikes. After that, it releases when the user lifts the heel off the ground (NASA Spinoff). This movement allows the patient to adopt normal gait (NASA Spinoff). Besides, he or she has stability as they stand. According to NASA Spinoff, the stance control mode can be activated based on the joint motion or weight bearing depending on the user’s needs.