Lower-limb exoskeletons have attracted considerable interest because they can provide impaired individuals with the ability to walk upright. Trajectory generation of walking gait is a crucial issue for lower-limb that has not yet been satisfactorily solved. The purpose this article study stable method considering subjective intention. Inspired by motion synergy between crutches and lower limbs,...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE We present a 3-dimensional biomechanical model of the upper extremities to characterize joint dynamics during 2 patterns of Lofstrand crutch-assisted gait in children with myelomeningocele. The upper extremity model incorporates recommendations by the International Society of Biomechanics. METHODS A Vicon motion analysis system (14 cameras) captured the marker patterns. I...

Upright ambulation is believed to improve quality of life for persons with lower-limb paralysis (LLP). However, ambulatory orthoses for persons with LLP, like reciprocating gait orthoses (RGOs), result in a slow, exhausting gait. Increasing the hip joint stiffness of these devices may improve the efficiency of RGO-assisted gait. The small, diverse population of RGO users makes subject recruitme...

in this study, 10 normal volunteers and 5 sports-trained paraplegics with lesions between t6 and l2 were studied whilst walking with axillary crutches and knee-anlde-foot orthoses. all subjects walked at their preferred speed on a figureof- eight track. normal subjects also walked at slower and faster speeds. oxygen consumption, heart rate and rating of perceived exertion were measured. in norm...

CONTEXT Individuals using traditional axillary crutches to ambulate expend approximately twice as much energy as individuals who perform able-bodied gait. A relatively novel spring-loaded crutch now being marketed may reduce metabolic energy expenditure during crutch ambulation. This idea, however, had not yet been tested. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the novel spring-loaded crutch reduces ...

Approximately 600,000 Americans use crutches each year [1]. A relatively novel spring-loaded crutch design is now being marketed (Figure 1A). The manufacturer (Millennial Medical Inc, Logan, UT, USA) of this crutch design has speculated that because a spring located in the crutch post compresses during crutch-ground contact, crutch length decreases, and less vertical displacement of the whole-b...

CONTEXT A novel spring-loaded-crutch design may provide patients additional forward velocity, relative to traditional axillary crutches; however, this idea has not yet been evaluated. OBJECTIVE To quantify elastic potential energy stored by spring-loaded crutches during crutch-ground contact and determine whether this energy increases forward velocity for patients during crutch ambulation. Be...