Osteoarthritis affects approximately 3.9 million Canadians, and costs of total knee arthroplasties in 2010 was $4.7 million. Surgery is not feasible for all patients therefore many patients use knee braces. However, most patients stop use due to discomfort, preventing the brace from slowing the progression of OA. The design of a more comfortable knee brace that provides biomechanical advantages of current braces is necessary to improve patient compliance.

Design and validation of a knee brace with two modes:​ dynamic, where corrective forces are only applied during stance phase, and passive mode, where forces are always applied. The brace generated an applied abduction moment 9.57Nm during static trials. Two walking trials were completed with the brace on 10 healthy participants comparing both modes. Mechanical failure occurred due to unpredicted hyperextension of the Scott Russell Mechanism. Future work should involve further dynamic analysis of the brace and improving strength in component manufacturing.