Mechanical System for the Motor Recovery inDogs with Muscular Weaknessin theExtremities

Abstract

The present work derives from an application of biomedical engineering in the veterinary area and its objective is to evaluate a mechanical support system for the recovery of small dogs with muscular weakness in the limbs by reproducing slow walking sequences like the gait of a healthy animal. In the first methodological phase, a gait analysis was carried out to obtain the necessary parameters to be used in the design and construction of the mechanical system; the second phase focused on using the data obtained in phase one to design and construct the mechanical system; in phase three, tests and evaluation of the mechanical system's functionality were carried out. The results obtained allowed the design of the parts of the mechanical system adapted to the anatomy of the body segments using Tinker CAD. Aluminum bars were used for the construction and finally, to provide movement, servomotors with characteristics according to the weight proportion of the anatomical segments corresponding to the pelvic limb of the animal were implemented. It is worth mentioning that we had the support of a dachshund dog, and the analysis of the gait kinematics was performed using Kinovea software. The proposed mechanical system reproduces the movements in a similar way to the normal sequences, the materials used in the device offer the necessary support to the characteristics of the animal, since it offers the necessary mobility without putting at risk the damaged limbs. Finally, a margin for improvement was detected in the tensile area, as there was a slight variation in the measurements compared to the theoretical values. This system can be implemented in dogs that require a support mechanism to recover from a condition that affects their mobility.