Walking ability is essential for the elderly/the disabled’s self-supported daily life. Currently the development of various robotic aids or devices for helping the elderly’s walking has attracted many researcher’s attentions. Guidecane ((Ulrich & Borenstein, 2001)), PAM-AID ((Lacey & Dawson-Howe, 1998)), Care-O-bot ((Graf et al., 2004)), PAMM ((S. Dubowsky, 2000)), and etc, are developed for in...

Many countries of the world including Japan will become a full-fledged aged society. According to report in Japan, the elderly population aged 65 years or over in Japan will number 33 million and will account for more than 25 percent of the population. We have to support the elderly for independence in old age so that a variety of lifestyles is possible. With the development of the robot techno...

TRAINING PROGRAM OF GRADED EXERcise while breathing oxygen is employed in patients with pulmonary emphysema in whom physical unfitness has been induced by excessive rest. Dyspnea on exertion naturally leads to inactivity which in itself promotes weakness, cardiovascular insufficiency and certain adverse biochemical changes, such as loss of nitrogen, calcium and potassium. Although walking abili...

BACKGROUND Low activity levels in inpatient rehabilitation are associated with adverse outcomes. The study aimed to test whether activity levels can be increased by the provision of monitored activity data to patients and clinicians in the context of explicit goal setting. METHODS A randomized controlled trial in three sites in Australia included 255 inpatients aged 60 and older who had a reh...

BACKGROUND Plantar pressure measurements often are used as a tool to evaluate pathologic gait. Previous studies, often done at self-selected walking speeds, have used peak plantar pressure to try to predict ulcer formation, compare surgical outcomes, and evaluate orthotic device efficacy. However, the relationship between walking speed and plantar pressures at specific plantar regions has not b...