Effect of Gait Training Applying Torque in Pre-swing Phase to Knee on Toe Clearance for Prevention of Trip in Elderly People

Abstract

Elderly people are at risk of tripping because of their low toe clearance. To avoid tripping, gait training that increase toe clearance would be beneficial. In this study we propose a gait-training robot applying knee flexion torque to increase toe clearance. We investigated the relationship between magnitude of applied torque and change in the toe clearance while walking before and after the application of this torque. We developed a wearable robot and carried out an experiment on young people, in which a motor pulls a string embedded on the robotic frame, applying torque in the pre-swing phase. We found that toe clearance increased after applying the torque if the torque was near 8 [Nm]. Therefore, we were able to verify that a new gait can be learned through application of torque.