The Experiment and Verification of the Torque Transmission on Adjustable System of a Walking Assistance Mechanism for Hemiplegia

Abstract

The need for walking assistance for elderly people is believed to be increasing as a result of a global aging society. In the robotics field, there are difficulties in the complexity and maintenance of their structures for daily use according to adjustability to individual body condition and situation. In this study, the authors have proposed a wearable walking assistance device for hemiplegia. To create the device, motion transmission mechanism between user's legs on the unaffected and affected side was designed without actuators. The results of the trial manufacture of the proposed mechanism are discussed through the experimental results. For the designed mechanism, the transmission function from the unaffected leg to the affected leg and the gait motion generation were verified by different experiments. In the first experiment, the transmission function was confirmed by changes in characteristics of the leg motion and the attachment position from the hip joint along the leg model. In the second experiment, a highly symmetrical gait motion of the prototype was generated by the attachment of the proposed mechanism. These findings suggest that the assistance ratio of the proposed mechanism has variability, which can be adjusted to assistance requirements. Although this is one of the basic experimental results, the proposed mechanism may provide positive effects on gait motion generation or rehabilitation for a symmetrical gait.