Abstract
The walking assist device was developed to enhance effective walking in older adults and patients with gait disorders. This wearable device is lightweight and can be used outdoors. This device is an automated stride assistance system that assists hip joint flexion and extension movement during walking. The torque assistance generated by the device is transmitted to the thighs through the thigh frames. In healthy young people, the heart rate during walking was significantly reduced in the with-assistance condition compared with the without-assistance condition. On the other hand, there were significant differences in length of stride, walk ratio and physical cost index in post-stroke patients with hemiparesis between the same conditions. In the slow group, in which walking speed of the first day before the start of the device was less than 60 m/min, walking speed, walk ratio and length of stride increased significantly with the 14-day protocol. Compared to the control group, the slow group had the tendency to increase the walk ratio and length of stride. The assisted walking exercise seems to improve walking parameters of the patients after stroke. The efficacy of using the device in a convalescent rehabilitation ward needs to be confirmed in a further study.
