29 accepted papers
Dynamic postural control during sitting is essential for functional mobility and daily activities. Extended reality (XR) presents a promising solution for posture training in addressing conventional training limitations related to patient accessibility and ecological validity. We developed a remote
Head turns during walking have been used to assess balance, mobility, and vestibular function in both experimental and clinical applications. However, head turns in walking experiments have been limited to self-initiated head motions as opposed to controlled motions. The aim of this study is to eval
Stair ascent is a challenging daily task that requires fine muscle coordination to complete the task while avoiding falls. However, there is little information on training paradigms that could improve stair ascent. This study investigates how external forces applied on the pelvis in different direct
Functional movements require <styled-content style="color:black" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> the successful integration of</styled-content> visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory signals. It has been shown that athletes are less
Every movement requires the coordination of several muscles groups. Mechanosensors provide the necessary proprioceptive information to know the current state of the muscles, joints, and limb segments to perform motions successfully. The motor system activates the muscles accordingly to coordinate th
Moving from a seated position to a standing position is essential for performing daily functional tasks. However, a sit-to-stand task may lead to falls in people with neuromotor disorders. Previous studies have shown that perturbation-based training can improve individuals’ reactive control and redu
<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Aim:</i> To determine the effects of pulsed current transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) on both the spinal circuitry and the neuromotor response observed after a trunk force perturbation. <ita
Humans perform movement tasks using motor and cognitive skills. The optimum outcome of the task is dependent on how the motor and cognitive skills are combined. When a dual-task is performed, this combination becomes even more important as the user has to devote limited available attention to the co
Wearable robots are designed to provide physical assistance and rehabilitation training. Light-weight designs are desirable for human usage and parallel robots are quite suitable due to low moving inertia. One of the challenges of using wearable parallel robots is to compute the end-effector positio…
This paper presents the design and preliminary evaluation of a portable spring-based knee exoskeleton, the SpringExo, which is designed to provide assistance to the leg while minimizing interference with the natural leg movement. Traditional rigid exoskeletons are unable to accurately align with a u…
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is a spinal curvature that affects 3% of the population and disproportionately affects females. It is treated with bracing and many researchers are developing models of the torso to optimize the effectiveness of brace designs. Unfortunately, the data available t
Pelvis mobility is essential to the daily seated activities of wheelchair users, however it is not yet fully addressed in the field of active wearable devices. This letter presents a novel design and optimization methodology of an in-parallel actuated robotic brace for assisting the human pelvis dur
Gait training is widely used to treat gait abnormalities. Traditional gait measurement systems are limited to instrumented laboratories. Even though gait measurements can be made in these settings, it is challenging to estimate gait parameters robustly in real-time for gait rehabilitation, especiall…
For those with irregular gait, re-calibration of motor control strategies and retraining of coordination are key goals. Thoughtful external forces or resistances during repetitive tasks can reprogram motor control patterns and strategies. Prior work in our lab has utilized this theory to improve gai…
Background: Proprioceptive feedback represents an alternative sensory channel that may be stabilizing in both overground gait in a virtual environment (VE), as well as when using an assistive device for overground gait. A person-following robot could potentially provide more useful proprioceptive fe
Coordinated head-neck movement is a challenge for patients with neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neck collars are commonly used to stabilize the head-neck in these patients. These collars are mostly rigid and uncomfortable to wear for extended periods
Visual and force feedback are common elements in rehabilitation robotics, but visual feedback is difficult to provide in over-ground mobile exoskeleton systems. This letter aims to provide a method to integrate visual feedback using an augmented reality HoloLens headset with our mobile C-ALEX system
In a previous study, a tethered pelvic-assist device (TPAD) was used to successfully retrain crouch gait in children with cerebral palsy by applying a downward force on the pelvis while walking on a treadmill. While the results of this study were promising, an important issue was to translate this t
Dropped head syndrome is often seen in patients with neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Static collars are often prescribed to these patients to support their head. These collars support the head in one position but do not allow motion to the head. In this letter, we pres
Standing postural control requires a complex interaction between the sensory and motor systems. Among sensory inputs, proprioception plays a fundamental role in the fine control of postural movements. In some neuromotor disorders, defects in the proprioceptive system may be associated with unsteady,
Improving functional motor deficits in patients with neurological and musculoskeletal disorders has been a primary objective of rehabilitation. Task-oriented training in physical environments is a leading approach for rehab training utilizing tasks that are challenging, adaptable, and meaningful. Al
Various leg exoskeletons have been designed for gait rehabilitation. The transparency of these exoskeletons is crucial to their effectiveness in gait training. The weight and inertia of an exoskeleton are two important factors affecting its transparency. In this study, using a light-weight leg exosk…
Dynamic seated trunk control is required during the execution of many everyday tasks. These tasks require an intricate coordination between the head, upper and lower trunk, and the pelvis. Furthermore, reaching beyond the arm's length requires precise joint control and intersegmental coordination. W
Quantitative analysis of the plantar pressure distribution during dynamic tasks can facilitate diagnosis of foot and ankle dysfunctions and prevent potential injuries by providing detailed information about weight bearing and weight shifting patterns. Traditional laboratory measurements are currentl
Head drop is a symptom commonly seen in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These patients usually experience neck pain and have difficulty in swallowing and breathing. Static neck braces are used in current treatment. These braces, however, immobilize the head in a single configuration, wh
Haptic feedback affects not only the quality of training but can also influence the physical design of robotic gait trainers by determining how much force needs to be applied to the user and the nature of the force. This paper presents the design of a variable damping force tunnel and explores the e
Aiming at the physical coupling feature between the finger and the hand exoskeleton, a human-robot interaction modeling approach is proposed. The muscle motion formulas are established based on the finger physiological structure and Hill model. The equilibrium equations between exoskeleton and finge…
Robotic rehabilitation devices are attractive to physical therapists. Various leg exoskeletons have been developed during the past decade and have been used in gait training. Traditional exoskeletons usually have a complex structure and add extra inertia to the wearer's leg, which may change their n…
This paper describes the design and control architectures for a novel active thoracolumbosacral orthosis targeted at correction of abnormal postures and treatment of the human spine, often seen in adolescent idiopathic or neuromuscular scoliosis. Our novel device is motivated by the current limitati…