Diseño y fabricación de una silla exoesquelética para paciente geriátrico con artrosis degenerativa

Abstract

The development of exoskeletal chairs emerges as an innovative solution designed to provide complementary support to the joints and decrease the load on them during physical activity. However, these chairs are manufactured with materials that are not suitable to withstand loads and are not customized based on the biomechanical structure of the patient. This article presents the design and manufacture of an exoskeletal chair type passive orthosis that meets the specific biomechanical characteristics and contributes to the reduction of the degenerative deterioration of the knee joints of a geriatric patient of the Betania nursing home. ABS filament and structural steel tubing were used to manufacture the chair. The performance of the exoskeletal chair was evaluated through functional tests with the patient, gait analysis, and a finite element analysis identifying the most critical areas of stress and possible improvements to the prototype.