Estimation of human stability during unplanned gait termination under wearable robot assistance

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop metrics for evaluating the safety of wearable robots during unplanned gait termination. In this study, we measured parameters related to the stability of the wearer during unplanned gait termination and explored parameters suitable as metrics. In the experiment, we simulated the occurrence of unplanned gait termination while using the robot in the two conditions with and without assistance that could interfere wearer’s termination motion. Then, parameters were compared between conditions. The results showed that the margin of stability changed due to the influence of the assistance that interfered with gait termination. The time required for gait termination was also confirmed to change due to the influence of the assistance. These parameters, whose changes were confirmed in this study, are expected to contribute to the understanding of the mechanism of changes in gait termination motion due to assistance.