A gait training system for human adaptive walking posture

Abstract

This paper deal with the modification of a gait training system. This system is designed to produce artificially similar the effects to gait training in a swimming pool. The weight of the patient is supported by a slinging system, while the patient walks on force plates placed on a round track. The slinging force is controlled by the data collected from the force plates. The purpose of the system is to control the slinging force to maintain the most effective load on the patient's lower extremity during training, and to adapt the slinging force to the patient's recovery. To achieve this purpose, the load meter on the force plate is designed to enhance the measurement performance. Tests revealed that dynamic response improved with the new design. Furthermore, the human interface also improved by mounting a display that projects the patient's foot by means of a movie camera. The patient's gait posture can be significantly improved by adapting this method.