Evaluation of biomechanical parameters in gait assisted with a robotic walker (2017)

Funding

Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito.

Abstract

Mobility is an important faculty that affects the life of an individual at different levels. Lack of mobility can condition physical and cognitive development in the early years of development. In this context, robotic walkers or Smart Walkers can offer important benefits for assisted walking in rehabilitation and functional compensation scenarios. However, knowledge about how the use of the walker affects gait pattern is limited and this information may be clinically relevant in the decision making process to define the walker and robotic assistance strategy could be benefits in different pathologies. The main objective of the present project is to carry out a comparative study of biomechanical parameters relevant to gait evaluation in subjects without gait pathologies in three specific cases: (i) gait without assistance, (ii) gait with passive walker and (Iii) assisted walking with a robotic walker, in order to determine curves and parameters of normality that serve as parameters to evaluate in later studies patients with pathologies that affect the gait and to determine in their rehabilitation processes their progress comparing it with the results of this study.