Interactive Gait Rehabilitation System with a Locomotion Interface for Training Patients to Climb Stairs

This paper describes the development of a gait rehabilitation system with a locomotion interface (LI) for training patients to climb stairs. The LI consists of two 2-DOF manipulators equipped with footpads. These can move the patient's feet while his or her body remains stationary. The footpads follow the prerecorded motion of the feet of healthy individuals. For gait training, the patient progresses sequentially through successively more advanced modes. In this study, two modes, the enforced climbing of stairs and interactive climbing of stairs, were developed. In the interactive mode, foot pressure sensors are used to realize interactive walking. Comparisons were made between the modes for healthy individuals and a patient. The effectiveness of the system was examined using electromyography (EMG) and foot pressure data.

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Development of a Portable Gait Rehabilitation System for Home-Visit Rehabilitation

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2015/849831 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hiroaki Yano ◽

Naoki Tanaka ◽

Kiyotaka Kamibayashi ◽

Hideyuki Saitou ◽

Hiroo Iwata

Keyword(s):

Home Visit ◽

Physical Therapist ◽

The Body ◽

Gait Rehabilitation ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Flat Surfaces ◽

Walking Program ◽

Rehabilitation System ◽

Locomotion Interface ◽

Femoris Muscle

This paper describes the development of a gait rehabilitation system with a locomotion interface (LI) for home-visit rehabilitation. For this purpose, the LI should be compact, small, and easy to move. The LI has two 2 degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulators with footpads to move each foot along a trajectory. When the user stands on the footpads, the system can move his or her feet while the body remains stationary. The footpads can have various trajectories, which are prerecordings of the movements of healthy individuals walking on plane surfaces or slopes. The homes of stroke patients may have not only flat surfaces but also some slopes and staircases. The quadriceps femoris muscle is important for walking up and down slopes and staircases, and the eccentric and concentric contractions of this muscle are, in particular, difficult to train under normal circumstances. Therefore, we developed a graded-walking program for the system used in this study. Using this system, the user can undergo gait rehabilitation in their home, during visits by a physical therapist. An evaluation of the results of tests showed that the vastus medialis muscles of all the subjects were stimulated more than by walking on real slopes.

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Development of a Gait Rehabilitation System With a Spherical Immersive Projection Display

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics ◽

10.20965/jrm.2008.p0836 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 20 (6) ◽

pp. 836-845 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Hiroaki Yano ◽

◽

Takayuki Masuda ◽

Yosuke Nakajima ◽

Naoki Tanaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

World Wide ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Visual Images ◽

Gait Rehabilitation ◽

Omnidirectional Camera ◽

Integrative System ◽

Rehabilitation System ◽

Projection Display ◽

Locomotion Interface

This paper describes the development of an integrative system for gait rehabilitation. The system can present visual images and the sensation of walking to a user. The system consists of a locomotion interface, “GaitMaster4,” and a spherical immersive projection display. The locomotion interface moves the users' feet while it keeps their bodies in the real world. Wide-angle images captured from an omnidirectional camera are projected onto the immersive projection display. To evaluate the system, subjects' brain activity was measured using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and the effectiveness of the system was confirmed.

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Effect of Pelvic Movement on Healthy Subjects During Gait Training Using a Gait Rehabilitation System

2018 40th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) ◽

10.1109/embc.2018.8512766 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Choonghyun Son ◽

Hyunsik Moon ◽

Daeeun Kim ◽

Min Ho Chun ◽

Seungjong Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthy Subjects ◽

Gait Training ◽

Gait Rehabilitation ◽

Rehabilitation System ◽

Pelvic Movement

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Development of a gait rehabilitation system using a locomotion interface

The Journal of Visualization and Computer Animation ◽

10.1002/vis.321 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. 243-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Hiroaki Yano ◽

Kaori Kasai ◽

Hideyuki Saitou ◽

Hiroo Iwata

Keyword(s):

Gait Rehabilitation ◽

Rehabilitation System ◽

Locomotion Interface

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Design, Control, and Implementation of a Robotic Gait Rehabilitation System for Overground Gait Training

10.22215/etd/2014-10142 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Ali Morbi

Keyword(s):

Gait Training ◽

Gait Rehabilitation ◽

Rehabilitation System ◽

Robotic Gait

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New Mechatronic System for Gait Rehabilitation - Functional Requirements

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.859.231 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 859 ◽

pp. 231-235 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Petre Lucian Seiciu ◽

Ileana Ciobanu ◽

Tadeusz Mikołajczyk ◽

Andreea Georgiana Marin ◽

Mihai Berteanu

Keyword(s):

High Specificity ◽

Gait Training ◽

Gait Rehabilitation ◽

Functional Requirements ◽

Mechatronic System ◽

Large Variability ◽

Active Involvement ◽

Complex Process ◽

Rehabilitation System ◽

Support Resistance

Given the large variability of pathological gait and the high specificity of gait phenotypes, it is very difficult to design a gait rehabilitation system able to adapt to the functional requirements of every person with ambulation disabilities, in every stage of the complex process of gait rehabilitation. Another approach is that of ambiental gait rehabilitation, with focus on adaptability, not on adaptation, on synthetical training, not on analytical training, on integrative training, not on step by step training. Our focus is not on controlling the movement itself, but on controlling the environment that shapes human functionality and assuring the appropriate level of support, resistance and persuasion, with consequent stimulation of the explorative behavior and the active involvement of the person in gait training. A mechatronic system designed for such a therapeutical approach has specific functional requirements.

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Systematic review on wearable lower-limb exoskeletons for gait training in neuromuscular impairments

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation ◽

10.1186/s12984-021-00815-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Antonio Rodríguez-Fernández ◽

Joan Lobo-Prat ◽

Josep M. Font-Llagunes

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Clinical Efficacy ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Gait Training ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Clinical Aspects ◽

Gait Rehabilitation ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

Walking Aids

AbstractGait disorders can reduce the quality of life for people with neuromuscular impairments. Therefore, walking recovery is one of the main priorities for counteracting sedentary lifestyle, reducing secondary health conditions and restoring legged mobility. At present, wearable powered lower-limb exoskeletons are emerging as a revolutionary technology for robotic gait rehabilitation. This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview on wearable lower-limb exoskeletons for people with neuromuscular impairments, addressing the following three questions: (1) what is the current technological status of wearable lower-limb exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation?, (2) what is the methodology used in the clinical validations of wearable lower-limb exoskeletons?, and (3) what are the benefits and current evidence on clinical efficacy of wearable lower-limb exoskeletons? We analyzed 87 clinical studies focusing on both device technology (e.g., actuators, sensors, structure) and clinical aspects (e.g., training protocol, outcome measures, patient impairments), and make available the database with all the compiled information. The results of the literature survey reveal that wearable exoskeletons have potential for a number of applications including early rehabilitation, promoting physical exercise, and carrying out daily living activities both at home and the community. Likewise, wearable exoskeletons may improve mobility and independence in non-ambulatory people, and may reduce secondary health conditions related to sedentariness, with all the advantages that this entails. However, the use of this technology is still limited by heavy and bulky devices, which require supervision and the use of walking aids. In addition, evidence supporting their benefits is still limited to short-intervention trials with few participants and diversity among their clinical protocols. Wearable lower-limb exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation are still in their early stages of development and randomized control trials are needed to demonstrate their clinical efficacy.

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