Assembly

instructions
FOOT MODULE Issued: 06.11.2022
Update

rev01

INTRODUCTION
In this section you will get all the required steps to properly assemble the foot piece and
connect it to the leg. First of all however, I want to briefly introduce the concept since
you might decide to adapt it or actuate it in a different way.

The main idea behind this design, is to create a kinematic that would reproduce as
much as possible the human foot anatomy while providing a certain level of assistance
(either passive or active) when walking.

You might have noticed that most of the exaoskeletons around rely on a flat sole foot
design with the main goal of unloading the weight to the ground while not focusing of
foot flexibility.
In my case, I wanted to add this feature as I considering essential for a proper gait.

In this design, in fact, the sole is articulated and its two parts have a hinge right on the
metatarsus area, creating in this way a kinematic triangle where the actuation element
(in this case the gas springs) has variable length. This implied, being overall a triangle
as I mentioned, that the angle between the other two pieces (namely foot tip and foot
sole) would change depending on the length of the forcing element, which is exactly
what happens during the gait.

I won't go deep into technicalities, however I will publish a dedicated study with
schematics that I wrote for the Engineers Tier Patreons who might be interested to go
deeper into this concept.

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
 FOOT ASSEMBLY

Follow the assembly scheme as in the picture below with the respective bolts/nuts
indicated. As usual, bearings shall be slightly press fit before placing the respective M8
bolts. Below you will find the assembly order to follow considering each subassembly
separately.

4X M6X25 BOLTS + NUTS

4X M5X15 BOLTS + NUTS

(GAS SPRING BRACKET)

4X M6X15 BOLTS+NUTS

2X 100N GAS SPRINGS

6X M5X10 BOTS + NUTS

2X 608RS BALL BEARINGS
(GAS SPRING BRACKET)
2X M8X25 BOLTS + NUTS

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
 M6 THREADED BAR SLOTS

By assembling first the back portion of the foot, you will find yourself with such a
subassembly.
Bearings should be already in position and you will notice two additional transversal slot
on the lower part of the boot (marked in the pictures). These will allow you to eventually
add a reinforcing threaded bar along the whole foot in order to reinforce the whole
structure. This component was not included in the bill of materials since it's not strictly
necessary however I strongly suggest adding it.

At this point you can proceed joining the two subassemblies (front one would be a
single piece + the upper cover which you can choose not to mount) by creating the
metatarsus hinge by means of the two M8 bolts (nuts are directly assembled into the
front piece hexagonal slots instead).

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
GAS SPRINGS ASSEMBLY
Once the frame is fully assembled, try moving it in order to check that all pieces are
mounted properly.
The boots should easily rotate around the center hinge with a maximum angle limited by
the inner shape of the components (you will notice an angular contact profile on the
back piece of the foot).
It is not time to mount the gas springs.

Be careful because, in this specific case, because of the nature of the concept, gas
springs will be in compressed state when the foot is laying flat on the floor. This because
the aim is to exert a certain force perpendicular to your foot (a component of the gas
spring force) helping you to push the heel up when taking a step.

Because of this, you will need to preload the gas springs and mount them in
compressed state while standing on the foot.
Please consider that 100N is only a reference value I used in my case with my print
settings and material. You might choose a different gas spring force (stronger or
weaker) and there will be the risk of structural failure depending on your print settings
and material.
Therefore, perform all of this at your own risk and take the appropriate precautions
before going on.
Depending on the gas spring force selected, proceed compressing them either manually
or with a jig and assemble them on the previously mounted brackets.

Once done, by stepping away, you will notice the boot frame moving (as a virtual step -
heel up movement) until the end stop position which should be about 35° from the floor.

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
ACHILLE'S TENDON SPRING ASSEMBLY (WITH LEG MODULE)
At this point, considering also the leg assembled in the previous module, you should find
yourself with the following two modules.

2X 608RS BALL BEARINGS

2X M8X30 BOLTS + NUTS

You can proceed joining them by means of M8 bolts as indicated in the picture.
The required all bearings are already included in the leg module bill of material together
with assembly instructions.
Once you have both modules assembles, try to wear the whole boot and you should be
able to properly move in is since the ankle hinge should approximately coincide with
your real ankle joint.

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
 2X M5X20 BOLTS + NUTS

1X M8X25 BOLT + NUT

2X 608RS BALL BEARINGS

2X M8X30 BOLTS + NUTS

At this point the whole leg/foot module is ready for use.

The Achilles tendon spring will help you pull back the leg in a straight position by storing
elastic energy during movements (gait, squat and so on).
Clearly you can replace the 3D printed spring with a different elastic element or
customize it according to your needs.

I will be publishing a specific section regarding the spring and its design with some
engineering insights available for the Engineers Tier soon, in case you would like to try
yourself designing and printing a different one.

Additionally I will upload soon also a printing and post processing guide (salt
annealing) for the spring (and not only) available for all Patreons. That would come
particularly handy in case you want to increase the structural resistance of a specific
component (reason why it is strongly suggested for springs which will be subject to
fatigue).

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
BONUS (STRAPS BRACKET)

In the list of files available, you will notice the FootR_cover_B component, which is
basically a flat bracket mountable right in the center of the sole with the same bolts
used for assembly.
This component has no structural aim but I added it in case you need a temporary
fixture for some straps. You could in fact interpose some Velcro straps between the sole
and this bracket and use them to secure the boot to your foot.
You could clearly come up with much better solutions also depending from your aim
and from the place you feel most comfortable to strap but if your are out of time and
you need a quick fix, feel free to use this one.

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
FOOT PIECE Print settings

This section will provide a preview of suggested print settings and orientation for the
mentioned components in the FOOT PIECE. in order to maximize resistance and
guarantee proper functionality.
User is free to modify or change them according to his/her experience.

PRINT ORIENTATION

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
PRINT SETTINGS (Suggested only)
Numer of walls: 4 min.
Upper layers: 4 min.
Bottom layers: 4min.
Layer height: 0.2mm max
Infill: 20% Zigzag
Suggested filament color: RED

This document is issued by Andrea Piccinno and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.