The effect of assist algorithms for wearable robot on physical stability during unplanned gait termination

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop the wearable walking assist robot that can be used in daily life. The challenge in daily use is stability, which decrease when encountering disturbances while walking. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the effect of the assist on the user’s stability when facing disturbances and quantify the relationship between them. This study focuses on unplanned gait termination and investigates the effect of assist on user’s physical parameters. The experiment involved comparing parameters obtained from conditions where assist was continued after gait terminate stimulus and where assist was stopped thereafter. Results of experiment suggest that assist that is less than half of the torque required by a user does not significantly change the user’s movement during unplanned gait termination. Thus, it can be inferred that the effect of assist on the stability is considered to be small, at least in healthy individuals.