Control strategies used in lower limb exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation after brain injury: a systematic review and analysis of clinical effectiveness

Background: In the past decade, there has been substantial progress in the development of robotic controllers that specify how lower-limb exoskeletons should interact with brain-injured patients. However, it is still an open question which exoskeleton control strategies can more effectively stimulate motor function recovery. In this review,...

Procedural generation of challenges for personalized gait rehabilitation

Conventional gait rehabilitation methods have the risk of alienating the patient due to their monotonous nature, thus negatively impacting the effectiveness of gait training. Modern technologies can help provide patients with better support, safety and immersive experience during training. However, physiotherapists cannot be required to...

Adaptive Generation of Movement Challenges for Gait Rehabilitation

Gait impairments negatively affect patients’ walking ability, without which they tend to suffer from a higher risk of falling and a lower quality of life. Repetitious training is necessary for patients to regain and maintain this ability. Compared with the conventional rehabilitation process, gamified rehabilitation has the potential to provide...

Wearable Sensor-Based Real-Time Gait Detection: A Systematic Review

Gait analysis has traditionally been carried out in a laboratory environment using expensive equipment, but, recently, reliable, affordable, and wearable sensors have enabled integration into clinical applications as well as use during activities of daily living. Real-time gait analysis is key to the development of gait rehabilitation techniques...

Simulation of human gait with body weight support: benchmarking models and unloading strategies

BACKGROUND: Gait training with partial body weight support (BWS) has become an established rehabilitation technique. Besides passive unloading mechanisms such as springs or counterweights, also active systems that allow rendering constant or modulated vertical forces have been proposed. However, only pilot studies have been conducted to...

Performance evaluation of the RYSEN: a 3D overground body weight support system

Body weight support (BWS) systems are widely used in gait rehabilitation. These systems allow patients to gradually increase training intensity and promote independent walking. Currently, there is no standardized method to assess the performance of BWS systems. This work proposes methods and metrics that can be used to assess and compare any...

The effect of impedance-controlled robotic gait training on walking ability and quality in individuals with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury: An explorative study

Background There is increasing interest in the use of robotic gait-training devices in walking rehabilitation of incomplete spinal cord injured (iSCI) individuals. These devices provide promising opportunities to increase the intensity of training and reduce physical demands on therapists. Despite these potential benefits, robotic gait-training...

Selective control of gait subtasks in robotic gait training: Foot clearance support in stroke survivors with a powered exoskeleton

Background Robot-aided gait training is an emerging clinical tool for gait rehabilitation of neurological patients. This paper deals with a novel method of offering gait assistance, using an impedance controlled exoskeleton (LOPES). The provided assistance is based on a recent finding that, in the control of walking, different modules can be...