Effects of exoskeletal gait assistance on the recovery motion following tripping

PLoS One. 2020 Feb 24;15(2):e0229150. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229150. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Physical assistant robots improve the user's ability to walk. However, they also potentially affect recovery motion following tripping. The assist algorithm should not interfere with the recovery motion, and should enhance the ability of the user to recover after tripping. Thus, in this study, we investigated the recovery motion affected by the assist robot after tripping. We compared the recovery motion with different reaction algorithms. Principal component analysis revealed the effects of the reaction algorithm. Correspondingly, principal components were related to the recovery motion during two steps following tripping. Specifically, the effects of the reaction algorithm were related to a principal component that represented the motion of the second step after tripping and that increased the margin of stability. Furthermore, the margin of stability became significantly large when the assistive torque was applied during the recovery motion. The result of this study suggests that the assist robot can potentially enhances the recovery motion of its user following tripping.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls* / prevention & control
  • Algorithms*
  • Humans
  • Motion
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Recovery of Function
  • Robotics / methods*
  • Walking

Grants and funding

This work was supported by KAKENHI of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The Grant Number is 17K01293.