Abstract
Along with the steadily rising elderly population in Japan, the number of aged persons with difficulties in walking is increasing. These patients undergo rehabilitation in hospitals which impose a constant and heavy burden upon the health care personnel who must assist them. Additionally, there is growing shortage for caregivers in the hospital care. For patients to rehabilitate by themselves, an ambulation support machine is needed that can prevent them from falling. In this paper deals with a sensor-controlled ambulation support machine that can prevent them from a falling. The control methods of the machine are examined for a fall from the viewpoint of the biomechanics. First, a typical pattern of falling are described while using an ordinary walker during rehabilitation. Second, the sensor-controlled ambulation support machine developed in this paper is explained. Third, the mathematical musculo-skeletal model is described to analyze the muscular tensions of a human leg during the fall. Fourth, using the musculo-skeletal model, the muscular tensions of a human leg are analyzed in preventing from the fall by using the sensor-controlled machine. Finally, the results reveal that the musculo-skeletal analysis is useful to evaluate the control methods of the machine and to develop an ambulation support machine that can prevent the fall.
