We have developed innovative system for training of dynamic balance and turning during walking of neurologically impaired subjects. The central element of the system is represented by a mechanism that tightly braces pelvis of a walking subject and enables movement of the pelvis in all six degrees of freedom. Three degrees of freedom are actuated by admittance-controlled motors. Mechanism can be mounted onto a treadmill or mobile platform. The device enables application of assistive as well as perturbing forces acting on the pelvis which is crucial for efficient motor learning. The achievement is of great importance for the population of the elderly and those suffering from various neurological diseases, as it enables the training of dynamic balance in the form of responses to perturbing pushes during training on walking on a treadmill. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of such training, but there is currently no adequate medical device on the market and in clinical practice. The system is described in a patent that is the subject of negotiations between URI-SOČA and the multinational Toyota Motor Company. Toyota has expressed interest in purchasing a patent and in project cooperation with URI-SOČA in the field of technology transfer, which will enable wide availability of training to maintain dynamic balance during walking for the physically challenged population. URI-SOČA and Toyota have signed a memorandum of understanding, and negotiations are currently suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
F.32 International patent
COBISS.SI-ID: 2248297Gait training after stroke is often associated with rehabilitation robotics and virtual environment in order to simulate practice of different functional gait tasks. Changing direction, walking up and down the slope are important skills that need to be practiced. The aim of this preliminary study was to compare inclined treadmill walking and turning conditions with its emulations on a recently developed Balance Assessment Robot for Treadmill walking (BART) on a basis of ground reaction forces (GRF) and lower extremity electromyography (EMG). First, a healthy participant walked overground straight, turning to left and right direction at a predefined walking speed and radius, and walking uphill and downhill on a sloped BART. After that, the participant walked with the proposed and integrated emulation strategies on BART, designed to induce hill walking and turning in human locomotion behaviour. The results of hill walking emulation show high similarities with the inclined treadmill walking, while turning emulation show high similarities when comparing GRF data and some similarities to the overground turning behaviour when comparing EMG data. Further studies on a group of subjects should compare inclined treadmill walking and turning with proposed emulation in order to investigate feasibility of the proposed approach in rehabilitation.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 2685033We have developed an innovative admittance-controlled Balance Assessment Robot (BAR) that enables movement of a pelvis in all six degrees-of-freedom while a subject is walking on an instrumented treadmill. Further, we have developed a number of training approaches that are targeted to diminish specific deficiencies like gait asymmetry, insufficient weight-bearing, reduced push-off and poor dynamic balancing capabilities. A novel approach of precisely-timed push-like exertion of forces to the pelvis, performed similarly to physiotherapists that physically manipulate pelvis to indirectly modify trajectories of pelvis and legs of trainees, was developed. The developed approach was implemented in a series of case studies involving high-functioning stroke subjects in the early chronic stage. The results of prolonged training with high volume, specificity and intensity brought about remarkable changes in the balancing capabilities as well as in overall walking performance.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 2499433Experimental studies were done in a group of 40 sub-acute post-stroke subjects that finished rehabilitation at our institute. We found that balancing responses in post-stroke subjects were subject-specific and may be very different from normal responses. Based on specific deficiencies we have developed a perturbed-balance training approach which was applied to a number of selected high-functioning post-stroke subjects. The results of prolonged training with high volume, specificity and intensity brought about considerable improvement in the balancing capabilities as well as in overall walking performance.
B.05 Guest lecturer at an institute/university
COBISS.SI-ID: 2729577We have developed an innovative admittance-controlled Balance Assessment Robot that enables movement of a pelvis in all six degrees-offreedom while a subject is walking on an instrumented treadmill. Further, we have developed a number of training approaches that are targeted to diminish specific deficiencies like gait asymmetry, insufficient weight-bearing, reduced push-off and poor dynamic balancing capabilities. A novel approach of precisely-timed push-like exertion of forces to the pelvis, performed similarly to physiotherapists that physically manipulate pelvis to indirectly modify trajectories of pelvis and legs of trainees, was developed. The developed approach was implemented in a series of case studies involving high-functioning stroke subjects in the early chronic stage. The results of prolonged training with high volume, specificity and intensity brought about significant changes in the balancing capabilities as well as in overall walking performance.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 2557801