Velocity control using interaction forces in pedestrians during walking on a Load-Controlled treadmill

Abstract

In gait rehabilitation, training using a treadmill is one of the effective means. In particular, there is a need for a system that automatically changes speed according to the intention of the walker. In order to realize natural automatic speed adaptation of treadmills, this study focuses on the interaction force between the pedestrian and the treadmill, and aims to develop a control method that responds to the pedestrian's movement. To this end, we constructed a control system for a treadmill that controls the change in the pedestrian's centrifugal velocity by detecting the kicking force from the pedestrian and adjusting the load given to the pedestrian. Then, we conducted a walking experiment on a treadmill for an adult male subject using the control system, measured and analyzed the motion, and investigated and verified the interaction force and change of centrifugal velocity during walking.