Developed an Innovative Handbike Fork Made of Composite Material.

In this research, the design of a new competitive handbike fork, made of a composite material, is presented. The study is based both on an early finite element analysis and on a CFD analysis of the characteristics and performance of a standard fork made of aluminum, allowing to define the loading and the flux conditions and to provide a design optimization of the fork. The model was later implemented iteratively with the properties of a carbon-fiber composite material. The results obtained show that the new model allows a weight and a drag force reduction and a downforce improvement, with a stiffness and a safety coefficient comparable to the standard aluminum fork.

Functional Design in Rehabilitation: Modular Mechanisms for Ankle Complex.

This paper is aimed at presenting an innovative ankle rehabilitation device based on a parallel mechanism. A functional analysis and design are described to obtain a device able to guarantee ankle movement while patient's body remains stationary. Human ankle is a challenging context where a series of joints are highly integrated. The proposed rehabilitation device permits a patient with walking defects to improve his or her gait. The research focuses on plantar-flexion-dorsiflexion movement. The robust design starts from an accurate modelling of ankle movements during walking, assessing motion data from healthy individuals and patients. The kinematics analysis and functional evaluations lead the study and development of the articulated system. In particular, results of simulations support the effectiveness of the current design. A 3D prototype is presented highlighting that the ankle motion is successfully demonstrated.