Collaborative robotic biomechanical interactions and gait adjustments in young, non-impaired individuals.
Journal:
Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation
Published Date:
Jun 16, 2016
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Collaborative robots are used in rehabilitation and are designed to interact with the client so as to provide the ability to assist walking therapeutically. One such device is the KineAssist which was designed to interact, either in a self-driven mode (SDM) or in an assist mode (AM), with neurologically-impaired individuals while they are walking on a treadmill surface. To understand the level of transparency (i.e., interference with movement due to the mechanical interface) between human and robot, and to estimate and account for changes in the kinetics and kinematics of the gait pattern, we tested the KineAssist under conditions of self-drive and horizontal push assistance. The aims of this study were to compare the joint kinematics, forces and moments during walking at a fixed constant treadmill belt speed and constrained walking cadence, with and without the robotic device (OUT) and to compare the biomechanics of assistive and self-drive modes in the device.