Abstract-The aim of this study was to evaluate three types of walkers for elderly people. Four elderly patients participated in the study. The experiments were performed using three walkers: a familiar conventional folding walker, a caster walker and a power-assisted walker. We evaluated walking speed, body acceleration and an electromyogram of the gastrocnemius during use of each walker. The results indicated that walkers should be selected according to the patient's walking ability. Comparison between Power-assisted walker and parallel bar, the walking speed in power-assited walker is higher than that in parallel bar. Power-assisted walkers are suitable for patients who are used to using a wheelchair. Keywords -walker, elderly, walking speed, acceleration, electromyogramWalking is a basic everyday activity. In an aging society, elderly people need to walk to promote their health and independence. By retaining ambulatory independence, elderly people increase their quality of life and reduce the costs of both public health services and private health insurance. Mobility is one of the most important factors in maintaining physical and mental health.To assist walking, several conventional types of walker are available. Different types are used for different walking abilities (see Fig. 1). The folding walker and the four-wheel walker with seat and basket are used under supervision. The folding walker consists of a folding four-legged frame with a supporting grip that the user can grasp or lean on. Wheelchairs are commonly used for elderly people who either cannot walk or can walk only with assistance and supervision. Caster walkers are used in hospitals and nursing homes. Users of caster walkers can lean on the supporting arms, and a non-weight-bearing gait is possible. However, these walkers can also be used by elderly people who have fairly good motor function.One of the authors has recently developed a powerassisted walker for elderly people who have difficulty walking. The device consists of four wheels and a supporting pad that is held by the user. The amount of assistance provided by this walker is based on the amount of force applied. The walker moves forward, or turns, at a speed proportional to the propulsive force applied by the user. The dynamic characteristics can be easily adjusted by changing the control parameters.Application or adaptation of these walkers is the important issue. In rehabilitation training, several walking stages are observed, and the use of a suitable walker is required to provide an improvement in the user's quality of life. However, no physiological evaluation based on walking ability has been made of the suitability of each kind of walker for each walking stage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological parameters for walkers. II. METHODOLOGYSix elderly people aged between 70 and 91 years (average 82±7.9 years) participated in the study. Before the experiment, written informed consent was obtained from each subject or the subject's family. EVALUATION OF WALKERS FOR...

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The actuators required for a wearable system need to be flexible so as not to injure the body. The purpose of this study is to develop a flexible and lightweight actuator which can be safe enough to be attached to the human body. In the previous study, a new type of McKibben artificial muscle that had a long stroke of more than 80 % of its original length was proposed and tested. However, the damages on the tube of the actuator were found. They are caused by a large friction between the slide stage and the tube. Therefore, the life time of the actuator becomes shorter. In this paper, the improved McKibben actuator which consists of a McKibben artificial muscle on the market (FESTO Co. Ltd.), steel balls as a cylinder head and two pairs of slide stages is proposed and tested. The slide stage has steel balls set on the inner bore of the stage to decrease the friction. The steel ball in the McKibben actuator is held by two pairs of slide stages from both sides of the ball. As a result, the minimum driving pressure of the improved actuator decreases about 68 % compared with that of the previous one. The actuator can realize both pushing and pulling motion even if it has flexibility. By using these properties of the actuator, the various rehabilitation devices were proposed and tested.

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