Visual feedback system showing loads on handrails for gait training

Abstract

Patients with walking difficulties need support devices such as a walker or a cane. However, the support devices sometimes restrict their activities of daily living (ADL). In order to improve the patients' ADL, it is desired that they use the support device that does not restrict their activities as much as possible. The patients need gait training to reduce the dependence on the support device and to switch to a device with fewer restrictions. The purpose of this study is to develop a new visual feedback system that helps the patient receiving gait training to recognize their dependence on the support device. The developed system measures the load that the trainees applied on the handrails, and shows this load graphically by using a display monitor. The walking experiment was carried out with able-bodied subjects in order to ensure that the developed system can give the load feedback to the subjects and they could control the loads on handrails. The experiment was performed in the two cases in which the load information was shown to the subjects, and the load information was not shown to them. During the experiment, the subjects were instructed to adjust the load in accordance with the reference load indicated by the graphical user interface of the developed system. As a result, the subjects could adjust the load to the reference load more appropriately when the load information was given to them. The result, therefore, suggests that the developed system is able to help trainees to be aware of and control the load supported by their arms.