scholarly journals Influence of a Soft Robotic Suit on Metabolic Cost in Long-Distance Level and Inclined Walking

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanhai Jin ◽  
Shijie Guo ◽  
Hashimoto Kazunobu ◽  
Xiaogang Xiong ◽  
Motoji Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Cost Reduction ◽  
Male Subject ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Healthy Male Subject ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Daily Life Activities ◽  
Hip Flexion

Metabolic cost during walking is positively linked to exercise intensity. For a walking assistive device, one of the major aims should be the maximization of wearers’ metabolic benefits for different walking situations. Toward this goal, this paper experimentally evaluates the influence of an authors’ soft robotic suit, which has been developed to assist hip flexion for energy-efficient walking of elderly persons in daily life activities, on metabolic cost reduction in the long-distance level and inclined walking. Experiment results show that, for a 79-year-old healthy male subject, the robotic suit significantly reduced metabolic cost in the condition of the robotic suit worn and powered on compared with the condition of worn but powered off.

scholarly journals A Single Assistive Profile Applied by a Passive Hip Flexion Device Can Reduce the Energy Cost of Walking in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2851
Author(s):  
Fausto Antonio Panizzolo ◽  
Eugenio Annese ◽  
Antonio Paoli ◽  
Giuseppe Marcolin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Spatiotemporal Parameters ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Low Torque ◽  
Hip Flexion ◽  
Energy Cost Of Walking

Difficulty walking in older adults affects their independence and ability to execute daily tasks in an autonomous way, which can result in a negative effect to their health status and risk of morbidity. Very often, reduced walking speed in older adults is caused by an elevated metabolic energy cost. Passive exoskeletons have been shown to offer a promising solution for lowering the energy cost of walking, and their simplicity could favor their use in real world settings. The goal of this study was to assess if a constant and consistent low torque applied by means of a passive exoskeleton to the hip flexors during walking could provide higher and more consistent metabolic cost reduction than previously achieved. Eight older adults walked on a treadmill at a constant speed of 1.1 m/s with and without the hip assistive device. Metabolic power and spatiotemporal parameters were measured during walking in these two conditions of testing. The hip assistive device was able to apply a low torque which initiates its assistive effect at mid-stance. This reduced the metabolic cost of walking across all the participants with respect to free walking (−4.2 ± 1.9%; p = 0.002). There were no differences in the spatiotemporal parameters reported. This study strengthened the evidence that passive assistive devices can be a valuable tool to reduce metabolic cost of walking in older adults. These findings highlighted the importance of investigating torque profiles to improve the performance provided by a hip assistive device. The simplicity and usability of a system of this kind can make it a suitable candidate for improving older adults’ independence.

scholarly journals Reducing the metabolic energy of walking and running using an unpowered hip exoskeleton

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiancheng Zhou ◽  
Caihua Xiong ◽  
Juanjuan Zhang ◽  
Di Hu ◽  
Wenbin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Spring Stiffness ◽  
Spatiotemporal Parameters ◽  
The Common ◽  
Hip Flexion ◽  
Optimal Stiffness ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Background Walking and running are the most common means of locomotion in human daily life. People have made advances in developing separate exoskeletons to reduce the metabolic rate of walking or running. However, the combined requirements of overcoming the fundamental biomechanical differences between the two gaits and minimizing the metabolic penalty of the exoskeleton mass make it challenging to develop an exoskeleton that can reduce the metabolic energy during both gaits. Here we show that the metabolic energy of both walking and running can be reduced by regulating the metabolic energy of hip flexion during the common energy consumption period of the two gaits using an unpowered hip exoskeleton. Methods We analyzed the metabolic rates, muscle activities and spatiotemporal parameters of 9 healthy subjects (mean ± s.t.d; 24.9 ± 3.7 years, 66.9 ± 8.7 kg, 1.76 ± 0.05 m) walking on a treadmill at a speed of 1.5 m s−1 and running at a speed of 2.5 m s−1 with different spring stiffnesses. After obtaining the optimal spring stiffness, we recruited the participants to walk and run with the assistance from a spring with optimal stiffness at different speeds to demonstrate the generality of the proposed approach. Results We found that the common optimal exoskeleton spring stiffness for walking and running was 83 Nm Rad−1, corresponding to 7.2% ± 1.2% (mean ± s.e.m, paired t-test p < 0.01) and 6.8% ± 1.0% (p < 0.01) metabolic reductions compared to walking and running without exoskeleton. The metabolic energy within the tested speed range can be reduced with the assistance except for low-speed walking (1.0 m s−1). Participants showed different changes in muscle activities with the assistance of the proposed exoskeleton. Conclusions This paper first demonstrates that the metabolic cost of walking and running can be reduced using an unpowered hip exoskeleton to regulate the metabolic energy of hip flexion. The design method based on analyzing the common energy consumption characteristics between gaits may inspire future exoskeletons that assist multiple gaits. The results of different changes in muscle activities provide new insight into human response to the same assistive principle for different gaits (walking and running).

scholarly journals ATM: Promoter of Metabolic “Cost” Reduction and “Savings” Usage during Hypoxia through mTORC1 Regulation

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang Gyun Kim ◽  
Andrew Y. Choo ◽  
John Blenis
Keyword(s):  
Cost Reduction ◽  
Metabolic Cost

scholarly journals Effectiveness of home-based cognitive training program on a cognitive level, the activity of daily living among elderly persons with mild cognitive impairment in selected community settings of Puducherry

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 5301-5309
Author(s):  
Govindakumari R ◽  
Vijayalakshmi ◽  
Sai Sailesh Kumar Goothy ◽  
Vijay Raghvan
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Daily Life Activities ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Brain

Aging is a physiological process that leads to both biological and psychological changes. The brain undergoes structural changes as a part of aging. According to the investigator's best knowledge and based on the extensive review, no structured study was conducted in India to test the effectiveness of cognitive training program. Hence, the present study was conducted to test the effectiveness of a home-based training program on select outcomes. A total of 314 elderly participants were recruited for the study after obtaining the written informed consent. After recruiting, the participants were randomly grouped into two groups, that is control and intervention groups, with 157 participants in each group. The intervention was administered to the experimental group. The present study results suggest that the home-based cognitive training program is effective in improving cognitive functions and daily life activities. The study recommends further detailed and multi-centered studies in this area to recommend the implementation of the program in the management of the cognitive impairments of the elderly.

IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMMUNITY WALKING PROGRAM (WALK ON!) FOR FUNCTIONALLY-LIMITED OLDER ADULTS

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
B.J. Nicklas ◽  
E.A. Chmelo ◽  
J. Sheedy ◽  
J.B. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Physical Function ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Mobility Limitations ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Walking Program ◽  
Usual Gait Speed

Background: Walking interventions improve physical function, reduce fall risk, and prevent mobility disability—even in those with compromised walking ability. However, most prior studies have been conducted in controlled research settings, with no dissemination of an evidence-based walking program for older adults who have mobility limitations and/or are socially isolated. Objectives: This study reports data on the feasibility and acceptability of a community-based walking program (Walk On!) for older adults who are functionally limited, and assesses changes in physical function among attendees. The program sessions focused on long-distance walking, and took place for one-hour, for two days/week, and for 12 weeks at a time. Design: Pilot implementation study. Setting: Local church in Winston-Salem, NC. Participants: 49 program participants; Measurements: Physical function battery and satisfaction survey data, as well as formative evaluation data from six attendees of a focus group, are reported. Results: The majority of the participants were >75 years (71%), female (65%), and presented with low levels of physical function (usual gait speed=0.79±0.16; 30.6% used an assistive device). Satisfaction with the program was high (100% would recommend it to others) and focus group results were overwhelmingly positive. Mean attendance to scheduled sessions was 77%±21%, and 63% of participants attended at least 75% of scheduled sessions (n=8 attended 100%). On average, participants improved their 6-min walk distance by 8.9%, their SPPB score by 15.4%, their timed-up-go time by 9.0%, and their usual gait speed by 11.4%. Conclusion: The results of the initial evaluation of Walk On! show high feasibility and acceptability of the program, as well as efficacy for improving physical function. Further research is needed to evaluate a delivery method for wider implementation of the program and to definitively test its effectiveness for improving function and other health benefits.

scholarly journals AOCR: adaptive on chip router algorithm for multicore domain controller platform

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 2246
Author(s):  
T Shanmuganathan ◽  
U Ramachandraiah
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Cost Reduction ◽  
Network Performance ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Routing Algorithm ◽  
Routing Algorithms ◽  
Core Domain ◽  
Latency Reduction ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
On Chip

In the recent years, with the rapid development of semiconductor technologies and increasing demand for more effective multi-Core Domain Controller platforms, there is a clear demand for effective routing algorithms that can be used to route the packets between these platforms, while enhancing an on chip network performance, achieving a better latency and throughput. This paper proposes an adaptive on Chip Router algorithm with a simple adaptive routing algorithm based on runtime weighted arbitration and resource allocation methodology, where the routing decisions are minimized for applications-specific MDCU platforms. The proposed scheme is evaluated by simulations and its performance in terms of latency, area, power consumption and cost reduction per vehicle are presented. The results show that, 24.5% of latency reduction, 62.25% area utilization optimization and 63.76% of energy efficient compare with existing methods.  

Energy-Efficient Oxide-Confined 850-nm VCSELs for Long-Distance Multimode Fiber Optical Interconnects

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 7900406-7900406 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Moser ◽  
J. A. Lott ◽  
P. Wolf ◽  
G. Larisch ◽  
A. Payusov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Optical Interconnects ◽  
Multimode Fiber ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Fiber Optical

Special Issue on Assistive Technology Based on ICT/IRT for Aged Society

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 887-887
Author(s):  
Takayuki Tanaka ◽  
Yasuhisa Hasegawa ◽  
Takanori Miyoshi ◽  
Shunji Shimizu ◽  
Toru Ifukube
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Kinesthetic Feedback ◽  
Aged Society

Although Japan and many other countries are going to the super-aging society quickly prior to the world, according to the latest investigations, there are a lot of elderly persons who do not suffer instrumental activity of daily living (IADL). This special issue made a broad call for papers on research and development of assistive technologies to support and enhance their employment and daily-life activity based on information-communication technology (ICT) and information-robotics technology (IRT). The topics of the special issue include wearable assistive device, power/skill assist, mobility assist, locomotive assist, communication assist, kinesthetic feedback assist, sensor/actuator technologies for assistive system, robotics and mechatronics to support elderly persons. We finally believe that these assistive technologies greatly contribute to support many elderly persons and make their lives more worth living. We thank the authors for their fine contributions and the reviewers for their generous time and effort. In closing, we thank the Editorial Board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics for helping make this issue possible.

Energy Efficient Neural Codes

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 531-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
William B Levy ◽  
Robert A. Baxter
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Average Firing Rate ◽  
Energy Expenditures ◽  
Coding Schemes ◽  
Representational Capacity ◽  
Minimal Redundancy ◽  
Efficient Information ◽  
The Cost

In 1969 Barlow introduced the phrase “economy of impulses” to express the tendency for successive neural systems to use lower and lower levels of cell firings to produce equivalent encodings. From this viewpoint, the ultimate economy of impulses is a neural code of minimal redundancy. The hypothesis motivating our research is that energy expenditures, e.g., the metabolic cost of recovering from an action potential relative to the cost of inactivity, should also be factored into the economy of impulses. In fact, coding schemes with the largest representational capacity are not, in general, optimal when energy expenditures are taken into account. We show that for both binary and analog neurons, increased energy expenditure per neuron implies a decrease in average firing rate if energy efficient information transmission is to be maintained.

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