Development of a body weight support system using pneumatic muscle actuators: Controlling and validation

Abstract

This study introduces the development of a new body weight support system using pneumatic actuators for gait training. The main scope of this work is to provide a new design, validation, and assessment for active body weight support systems to reproduce a subject's normal walking behavior. Based on the assessments and its evaluations, the novel body weight support system using pneumatic muscle actuators shows many advantageous characteristics, such as simplicity, low cost, maintenance of a constant unloading force, and ease of control of the supported force. The capability of the novel body weight support system to generate unloading forces that track the center of pressure, because it switches from left to right and vice versa as the subject walks, is especially interesting.

Influence of Body Weight Support Systems on the Abnormal Gait Kinematic

“…When comparing gait parameters between the ABWS system and the CW, the ABWS system provided better behavior in most cases. Currently, only a few studies conducted an experimental comparison between the active and passive unloading system [42,48]. In this present study, the maximum displacements of the COM in the horizontal direction of the ABWS were significantly higher and closer to the normal walking condition, as shown in Figure 5e.…”

“…Two BWS systems were used to implement in this study: the ABWS system power by the pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) and the CW system. A detailed description of the ABWS system was described in the previous study [42]. Basically, the AWBS system contains four PAMs connected directly to the subject body via a harness.…”

“…Because of the flexibility of four PAMs, the therapist can apply many weight support strategies in gait training such as one-side support [43], or center of pressure (COP) tracking by the supported force. In this paper, the weight support strategy was implemented similarly as the previous study [42]. Such that the supported force from the ABWS system would follow the movement of COP.…”

Mechatronic treadmill for gait reeducation with control algorithm of treadmill speed adaptation

“…Moreover, in many cases, therapists help patients to develop the correct motion of lower limbs manually. 1–4…”

“…Moreover, in many cases, therapists help patients to develop the correct motion of lower limbs manually. [1][2][3][4] High efficiency of this method is well documented by multiple studies conducted with persons suffering from various walk disorders. [5][6][7][8][9][10] One of the main advantages of the training with the use of unloading systems and the treadmill is high repeatability of exercises.…”