Abstract
Robotic exoskeletons are regarded as promising technologies for neurological gait rehabilitation but have been investigated comparatively little as training aides to facilitate active aging in the elderly. This study investigated the feasibility of an exoskeletal Active Pelvis Orthosis (APO) for cardiopulmonary gait training in the elderly. Ten healthy elderly volunteers exhibited a decreased (−26.6 ± 16.1%) Metabolic Cost of Transport (MCoT) during treadmill walking following a 4-week APO-assisted training program, while no significant changes were observed for a randomly assigned control group (n = 10) performing traditional self-paced overground walking. Moreover, robot-assisted locomotion was found to require 4.24 ± 2.57% less oxygen consumption than free treadmill walking at the same speed. These findings support the adoption of exoskeletal devices for the training of frail individuals, thus opening new possibilities for sustainable strategies for healthy aging.
Highlights
With the present aging of the worldwide population, the problem of age-related mobility loss poses serious social implications[1,2]
The Active Pelvis Orthosis (APO) training program resulted in a 26.6 ± 16.1% average reduction in Metabolic Cost of Transport (MCoT) at TF with respect T0, with a 20.2 ± 19.7% reduction maintained at the one-month follow-up (TU)
The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of a hip exoskeleton-assisted gait training program to increase unassisted gait efficiency in healthy elderly adults, relative to a traditional self-administered walking regimen, the most common clinical exercise prescription[19]
Summary
With the present aging of the worldwide population, the problem of age-related mobility loss poses serious social implications[1,2]. In addition to aerobic exercise, strength training has been recommended for the elderly as a preventive strategy for reducing fall risk[17,18,19,20] In this vein, there has been increasing interest in eccentric exercise strategies, based on the higher force generation capacity of eccentric relative to concentric contractions, as well as the increased oxygen economy of eccentric contractions for equivalent-force outputs[21]. There has been increasing interest in eccentric exercise strategies, based on the higher force generation capacity of eccentric relative to concentric contractions, as well as the increased oxygen economy of eccentric contractions for equivalent-force outputs[21] Such high efficiency, together with growing evidence that aging does not severely affect eccentric strength, makes training strategies based on negative muscular work potentially ideal for the training and rehabilitation of frail populations such as the elderly[21,22,23]. Technological innovation can provide valuable tools that promote user engagement and allow for controlled, gradual progression of training intensities[27,28]
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