Sharing roads with automated vehicles: A questionnaire investigation from drivers’, cyclists’ and pedestrians’ perspectives

Despite the promised benefits, the introduction of Automated Vehicles (AVs) on roads will be confronted by many challenges, including public readiness to use those vehicles and share the roads with them. The risk profile of road users is a key determinant of their safety on roads. However, the relation of such risk profiles to road users’...

Walking Accessibility to the Public Transport Network in Montevideo, Uruguay

Public transport plays a key role in expanding the distances that people can travel using active modes of transport. Studying walking accessibility to public transportation systems is highly relevant, since the walk to stops/stations can be particularly challenging for children, the elderly, citizens with disabilities, and for the general...

Limited knee extension during gait after total knee arthroplasty is related to a low Oxford Knee Score

Background: After total knee replacement (TKR) some patients report low self-perceived function, which is clinically measured using patient reported outcome measures (PROMs). However, PROMs, e.g. the Oxford Knee Score (OKS), inherently lack objective parameters of knee function. Biomechanical gait analysis is an objective and reliable...

Cycling or walking? Determinants of mode choice in the Netherlands

Interest into active modes (i.e. walking and cycling) has increased significantly over the past decades, with governments worldwide ultimately aiming for a modal shift towards active modes. To devise policies that promote this goal, understanding the determinants that influence the choice for an active mode is essential. The Netherlands is...

Is active travel part of a healthy lifestyle? Results from a latent class analysis

Introduction: Behavioral health risk factors are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The four main risk factors, the so-called SNAP-factors, relate to smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity. A consistent finding in health research is that these behaviors tend to cluster together, thereby resulting in...

Immediate effects of immersive biofeedback on gait in children with cerebral palsy

Objective: To investigate the immediate response to avatar-based biofeedback on 3 clinically important gait parameters: step length, knee extension, and ankle power in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Design: Repeated measures design. Setting: Rehabilitation clinic. Participants: Children with spastic paresis (N=22; 10.5±3.1y), able to walk...

The validity and usability of an eight marker model for avatar-based biofeedback gait training

Background: Virtual reality presents a platform for therapeutic gaming, and incorporation of immersive biofeedback on gait may enhance outcomes in rehabilitation. Time is limited in therapeutic practice, therefore any potential gait training tool requires a short set up time, while maintaining clinical relevance and accuracy. The aim of this...

Modelling multimodal transit networks: integration of bus networks with walking and cycling

Demand for (public) transportation is subject to dynamics affected by technological, spatial, societal and demographic aspects. The political environment, together with financial and spatial constraints limit the possibilities to address transit issues arising from growing demand through the construction of new infrastructure. Upgrading of...

Modelling multimodal transit networks: integration of bus networks with walking and cycling (PPT)

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Impact of regional population density on walking behavior

Land use can influence walking (measured by the number of steps) and so the health of people. This paper presents the result of empirical research on the impact of regional population densities (inhabitants per inhabitable area) on the number of steps (all steps, both outdoors and indoors). With data collected from almost 11,000 respondents...

Robot-supported assessment of balance in standing and walking

Clinically useful and efficient assessment of balance during standing and walking is especially challenging in patients with neurological disorders. However, rehabilitation robots could facilitate assessment procedures and improve their clinical value. We present a short overview of balance assessment in clinical practice and in posturography....

Preserved gait kinematics during controlled body unloading

Background: Body weight supported locomotor training was shown to improve walking function in neurological patients and is often performed on a treadmill. However, walking on a treadmill does not mimic natural walking for several reasons: absent self-initiation, less active retraction of leg required and altered afferent input. The...

Robot-aided assessment of lower extremity functions: A review

The assessment of sensorimotor functions is extremely important to understand the health status of a patient and its change over time. Assessments are necessary to plan and adjust the therapy in order to maximize the chances of individual recovery. Nowadays, however, assessments are seldom used in clinical practice due to administrative...

Reinforcement learning of potential fields to achieve limit-cycle walking

Reinforcement learning is a powerful tool to derive controllers for systems where no models are available. Particularly policy search algorithms are suitable for complex systems, to keep learning time manageable and account for continuous state and action spaces. However, these algorithms demand more insight into the system to choose a...

How Crouch Gait Can Dynamically Induce Stiff-Knee Gait

Children with cerebral palsy frequently experience foot dragging and tripping during walking due to a lack of adequate knee flexion in swing (stiff-knee gait). Stiff-knee gait is often accompanied by an overly flexed knee during stance (crouch gait). Studies on stiff-knee gait have mostly focused on excessive knee muscle activity during (pre...