Abstract
It is indispensable for physical therapists in training to experience various symptoms during their period of education; however, such chances are limited in educational institutions. We developed a prototype of a wearable dummy-robot system to simulate equinovarus, which is a typical disorder of the foot caused by stroke, to enhance the training of physical therapists (PTs). The wearable dummy system enables us to simulate joint disorders while allowing the trainees to learn humans' complex joint movements such as those observed in human feet. The dummy system deformed the foot of its healthy wearer through a wire mechanism such that the resultant foot posture and resistance force required for therapeutic operations resemble those of typical equinovarus. Through evaluation experiments involving PTs, we explored design parameters to well represent equinovarus in the acute and chronic phases. The results suggest that the dummy simulator is expected to be an effective training tool to aid the trainees of physical therapy with potential future improvements.
