HYBRID: Ambulatory Robotic Gait Trainer with Movement Induction and Partial Weight Support

Abstract

Robotic exoskeletons that induce leg movement have proven effective for lower body rehabilitation, but current solutions offer limited gait patterns, lack stabilization, and do not properly stimulate the proprioceptive and balance systems (since the patient remains in place). Partial body weight support (PBWS) systems unload part of the patient’s body weight during rehabilitation, improving the locomotive capabilities and minimizing the muscular effort. HYBRID is a complete system that combines a 6DoF lower body exoskeleton (H1) with a PBWS system (REMOVI) to produce a solution apt for clinical practice that offers improves on existing devices, moves with the patient, offers a gait cycle extracted from the kinematic analysis of healthy users, records the session data, and can easily transfer the patient from a wheelchair to standing position. This system was developed with input from therapists, and its response times have been measured to ensure it works swiftly and without a perceptible delay.

Current Status and Consideration of Support/Care Robots for Stand-Up Motion

“…For STS assistance robots that can choose between partial and total assistance, we first describe HYBRID by Urendes et al [21]. This robot features a powered exoskeleton (H1) and a powered walker (REMOVI) with a powered sling arm.…”

Assistance Robotics and Biosensors 2019

“…Lower-limb exoskeletons are mainly used in gait rehabilitation. HYBRID is an ambulatory robotic gait trainer with movement induction and partial weight support [4]. This device combines a conventional lower-limb exoskeleton, H1, with an active partial body weight support system (PBWS) to improve locomotive capabilities and minimize muscular effort.…”

Modeling and Control of an Underactuated System for Dynamic Body Weight Support

“…When comparing rehabilitation devices fitted with an active load support system, the stationary element is mostly related to the fixed load bearing structure (it does not follow patient movements) and human gait is forced by mechanical orthosis or a treadmill [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. In devices with a treadmill, training is recommended for persons who have restored their gait to a degree, enabling unaided movement, but who still require assistance, or when gait manner, pace, and strength need improvement [12,13].…”