scholarly journals Single-Actuator-Based Lower-Limb Soft Exoskeleton for Preswing Gait Assistance

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ming-Hwa Hsieh ◽  
Yin Hsuan Huang ◽  
Chia-Lun Chao ◽  
Chien-Hao Liu ◽  
Wei-Li Hsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Weakness ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Gait Cycle ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Pulley System ◽  
Single Motor ◽  
Actuation Mechanism ◽  
Rotary Motors ◽  
Knee Braces ◽  
Hip Flexion

In this research, we proposed a lower-limb soft exoskeleton for providing assistive forces to patients with muscle weakness during the preswing phase of a gait cycle. Whereas conventional soft exoskeletons employ two motors to assist each leg individually, we designed a single motor for actuation. Our design assists hip flexion for light weights and prevents some slip problems that can arise from rotary motors. The actuation mechanism was based on a pulley system that converted the power supplied by the single motor into linear reciprocating motions of a slider. When the single motor rotated, the slider moved linearly, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction. The slider pulled knee braces through cables with an assistive force of 100 N. The actuation was triggered when the system detected that the backward swing of the wearer’s thigh had ended. A prototype was designed, fabricated, and examined with 7 subjects (average age, 24). Subjects were measured while they wore our exoskeleton in power-off and power-on modes. Comparisons proved that wearing the exoskeleton caused a negligible deviation of gait, and that the soft exoskeleton could reduce metabolic cost during walking. The research results are expected to be beneficial for lightweight soft exoskeletons and integration with exosuits that provide assistive forces through the wearer’s entire gait.

4 Case Reports On Patients with Acute Lower Limb Muscle Weakness Treated by Spinal Mobilization With Leg Movement(SMWLM) Combined with Korean Medicine Treatment

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-73
Author(s):  
Young-Joo Moon ◽  
Won-Bin Shin ◽  
Gwang-Hyun Ryu ◽  
Ji-Yun Lee ◽  
Hyun-A Jeon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Weakness ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Lower Limb Muscle ◽  
Limb Muscle ◽  
Korean Medicine ◽  
Leg Movement

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 Using a simple rope-pulley system that mechanically couples the arms, legs, and treadmill reduces the metabolic cost of walking

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisey Vega ◽  
Christopher J. Arellano
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Arm Swing ◽  
Pulley System ◽  
Young Subjects ◽  
Walking Recovery ◽  
Set Up

Abstract Background Emphasizing the active use of the arms and coordinating them with the stepping motion of the legs may promote walking recovery in patients with impaired lower limb function. Yet, most approaches use seated devices to allow coupled arm and leg movements. To provide an option during treadmill walking, we designed a rope-pulley system that physically links the arms and legs. This arm-leg pulley system was grounded to the floor and made of commercially available slotted square tubing, solid strut channels, and low-friction pulleys that allowed us to use a rope to connect the subject’s wrist to the ipsilateral foot. This set-up was based on our idea that during walking the arm could generate an assistive force during arm swing retraction and, therefore, aid in leg swing. Methods To test this idea, we compared the mechanical, muscular, and metabolic effects between normal walking and walking with the arm-leg pulley system. We measured rope and ground reaction forces, electromyographic signals of key arm and leg muscles, and rates of metabolic energy consumption while healthy, young subjects walked at 1.25 m/s on a dual-belt instrumented treadmill (n = 8). Results With our arm-leg pulley system, we found that an assistive force could be generated, reaching peak values of 7% body weight on average. Contrary to our expectation, the force mainly coincided with the propulsive phase of walking and not leg swing. Our findings suggest that subjects actively used their arms to harness the energy from the moving treadmill belt, which helped to propel the whole body via the arm-leg rope linkage. This effectively decreased the muscular and mechanical demands placed on the legs, reducing the propulsive impulse by 43% (p < 0.001), which led to a 17% net reduction in the metabolic power required for walking (p = 0.001). Conclusions These findings provide the biomechanical and energetic basis for how we might reimagine the use of the arms in gait rehabilitation, opening the opportunity to explore if such a method could help patients regain their walking ability. Trial registration: Study registered on 09/29/2018 in ClinicalTrials.gov (ID—NCT03689647).

Design and fabrication of a lower limb exoskeleton to assist in stair ascending

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Payman Joudzadeh ◽  
Alireza Hadi ◽  
Bahram Tarvirdizadeh ◽  
Danial Borooghani ◽  
Khalil Alipour
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
System Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Stair Climbing ◽  
Robot Design ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lower Limb Exoskeleton ◽  
Knee Braces ◽  
Novel Design

Purpose This paper aims to deal with the development of a novel lower limb exoskeleton to assist disabled people in stair ascending. Design/methodology/approach For this purpose, a novel design of a mixture of motors and cables has been proposed for users to wear them easily and show the application of the system in stair climbing. Findings One of the prominences of this study is the provided robot design where four joints are actuated with only two motors; each motor actuates either the knees or ankles. Another advantage of the designed system is that with motors placed in a backpack, the knee braces can be worn under clothes to be concealed. Finally, the system performance is evaluated using electromyography (EMG) signals showing 28 per cent reduction in energy consumption of related muscles. Originality/value This investigation deals with the development of a novel lower limb exoskeleton to assist disabled people in stair ascending.

Reduced prosthetic stiffness lowers the metabolic cost of running for athletes with bilateral transtibial amputations

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 976-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen N. Beck ◽  
Paolo Taboga ◽  
Alena M. Grabowski
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Ground Reaction Forces ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Distance Running ◽  
Cost Of Transport ◽  
Leg Stiffness ◽  
Metabolic Costs ◽  
In Series ◽  
Reaction Forces

Inspired by the springlike action of biological legs, running-specific prostheses are designed to enable athletes with lower-limb amputations to run. However, manufacturer’s recommendations for prosthetic stiffness and height may not optimize running performance. Therefore, we investigated the effects of using different prosthetic configurations on the metabolic cost and biomechanics of running. Five athletes with bilateral transtibial amputations each performed 15 trials on a force-measuring treadmill at 2.5 or 3.0 m/s. Athletes ran using each of 3 different prosthetic models (Freedom Innovations Catapult FX6, Össur Flex-Run, and Ottobock 1E90 Sprinter) with 5 combinations of stiffness categories (manufacturer’s recommended and ± 1) and heights (International Paralympic Committee’s maximum competition height and ± 2 cm) while we measured metabolic rates and ground reaction forces. Overall, prosthetic stiffness [fixed effect (β) = 0.036; P = 0.008] but not height ( P ≥ 0.089) affected the net metabolic cost of transport; less stiff prostheses reduced metabolic cost. While controlling for prosthetic stiffness (in kilonewtons per meter), using the Flex-Run (β = −0.139; P = 0.044) and 1E90 Sprinter prostheses (β = −0.176; P = 0.009) reduced net metabolic costs by 4.3–4.9% compared with using the Catapult prostheses. The metabolic cost of running improved when athletes used prosthetic configurations that decreased peak horizontal braking ground reaction forces (β = 2.786; P = 0.001), stride frequencies (β = 0.911; P < 0.001), and leg stiffness values (β = 0.053; P = 0.009). Remarkably, athletes did not maintain overall leg stiffness across prosthetic stiffness conditions. Rather, the in-series prosthetic stiffness governed overall leg stiffness. The metabolic cost of running in athletes with bilateral transtibial amputations is influenced by prosthetic model and stiffness but not height. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We measured the metabolic rates and biomechanics of five athletes with bilateral transtibial amputations while running with different prosthetic configurations. The metabolic cost of running for these athletes is minimized by using an optimal prosthetic model and reducing prosthetic stiffness. The metabolic cost of running was independent of prosthetic height, suggesting that longer legs are not advantageous for distance running. Moreover, the in-series prosthetic stiffness governs the leg stiffness of athletes with bilateral leg amputations.

scholarly journals Efficacy of lower-limb muscle training modalities in severely dyspnoeic individuals with COPD and quadriceps muscle weakness: results from the DICES trial

Thorax ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 525-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurice J H Sillen ◽  
Frits M E Franssen ◽  
Jeannet M L Delbressine ◽  
Anouk W Vaes ◽  
Emiel F M Wouters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Weakness ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Quadriceps Muscle ◽  
Lower Limb Muscle ◽  
Limb Muscle ◽  
Muscle Training ◽  
Training Modalities

scholarly journals Full gait cycle analysis of lower limb and trunk kinematics and muscle activations during walking in participants with and without ankle instability

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 114-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynsey Northeast ◽  
Charlotte N. Gautrey ◽  
Lindsay Bottoms ◽  
Gerwyn Hughes ◽  
Andrew C.S. Mitchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Gait Cycle ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Trunk Kinematics ◽  
Muscle Activations

scholarly journals Can the use of proprioceptive knee braces have implications in the management of osteoarthritic knees: An exploratory study

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tariq A Kwaees ◽  
Jim Richards ◽  
Gill Rawlinson ◽  
Charalambos Panayiotou Charalambous ◽  
Ambreen Chohan
Keyword(s):  
Angular Velocity ◽  
Knee Osteoarthritis ◽  
Internal Rotation ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Knee Injury ◽  
Neuromuscular Control ◽  
Outcome Score ◽  
Knee Braces ◽  
Step Down ◽  
Healthy Participants

Background: Use of proprioceptive knee braces to control symptomology by altering neuromuscular control mechanisms has been shown in patellofemoral pain. Although their potential in patients with knee osteoarthritis is vast, little research has examined their efficacy. Objectives: This study examines the effect of a proprioceptive knee brace on lower limb kinematics and kinetics in healthy participants and in participants with OA. Methods: Thirteen healthy participants were asked to perform a 10-cm step-down task with and without a proprioceptive brace. Data were collected using a 10-camera Qualisys system. Individuals with osteoarthritis completed the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score before and after 4 weeks of intervention. Results: During step-down reductions in knee maximum internal rotation, transverse range of movement, transverse plane angular velocity and maximum internal rotation angular velocity was seen. Ankle plantar flexion and inversion angular velocity decreased while inversion and maximum supination angular velocity increased. Improvements in Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were noted across all parameters with brace use. Conclusion: Positive changes in kinematic variables in multiple planes can be achieved with proprioceptive bracing alongside improved patient outcome. These changes occur at the knee but analysis of other weight bearing joints should not be overlooked in future studies. This study supports the concept of neuromuscular reinforcement and re-education through proprioceptive bracing and its application in the management in knee osteoarthritis. Clinical relevance Proprioception can alter symptoms and biomechanics embraced and adjacent lower limb joints. The results of this study highlights the potential uses of non-mechanical bracing in the treatment of osteoarthritis and other potential to bridge the osteoarthritis treatment gap. Furthermore, large-scale research is needed to match disease subset to brace type.

Lower Limb Prosthesis Gait Cycle Prediction Analysis Using Gyroscope and Load Cell

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Sohaib Ali Shah ◽  
Syed Irfan Shah ◽  
Muhammad Adnan Khalil ◽  
Umar S. Khan ◽  
Mohsin I. Tiwana
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Gait Cycle ◽  
Load Cell ◽  
Prediction Analysis ◽  
Lower Limb Prosthesis ◽  
Limb Prosthesis
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