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The elderly sometimes fall owing to tripping caused by decreased dorsal flexion during the swing phase. A wearable assist device that was able to increase dorsal flexion to reduce the risk of tripping was proposed in this study. This device assists in dorsal flexion during the swing phase by transferring the tension force from the upper body to the foot by connecting them using strings. To improve...
Three-dimensional stretching is needed to treat equinovarus, which deforms the patient's foot to plantarflexion, adduction, and inversion postures. We have prototyped a three-dimensional stretching machine that the patient can use for the treatment of equinovarus by him- or herself. By adopting a cable-driven mechanism with two independently controllable pneumatic actuators, the stretching machine...
Many wearable robots are not fully capable of fitting the motion of the wearer, owing to their limited degrees-of-freedom (DOF). This limitation disturbs motions such as corner curving, which are required in daily life. In this study, the effect of the DOF restriction on the corner curving motion was observed and analyzed. The gait motions, when curving a round corner with and without the restriction...
Forward fall is one of the most common causes of upper extremity fractures. Significant factors influencing impact force and injuries were widely studied; however, it is necessary to investigate the natural reactions of humans during a forward fall to obtain a realistic evaluation of injuries. The purpose of this study was to analyze the natural motion of the upper extremity during an induced trip...
The estimation of the physical burdens from which people with motor impairment suffer helps us establish welfare techniques comprising personal care equipment and assessment of critical risks, such as fall risks. However, the involvement of actual patients in the evaluation and development of this equipment is costly and involves the exposure of patients to long and exhausting experiments. To solve...
It is ethically problematic to engage people with impaired motor functions in experiments, wherein they may face severe pain and unacceptable risk of injuries. We developed a wearable robot for healthy adults and its control algorithm to simulate the behaviors of patients with knee osteoarthritis. We focused on invariant motions, which are typically presented for avoiding knee pain. In order to simulate...
Falls are one of the main causes of decreased quality of life and activities of daily living among the elderly individuals. Because tripping is the most common cause of falls, some types of recovery motions have been reported after tripping induced by a flat plate or block. Common recovery strategies observed under these conditions included elevating and lowering strategies. Especially, in case that...
The reduced foot-ground clearance manifested in the healthy elderly is a major cause of tripping, potentially resulting in the loss of balance and falling. Hence, there is a critical need to study the foot-ground clearance deficiencies in the elderly. However, such studies are limited by the risks posed by experimental conditions to the health and safety of this population. As a solution, the present...
A physical assistant robot is useful for elderly and disabled people, as well as workers in certain industries, as it enhances their locomotive capabilities. However, risk assessment has identified some unique risks such as wounding of the skin and fall because of the use of such physical assistant robots. Among these potential risks, falls can be particularly severe. This study focuses on the effect...
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