New wearable exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation assistance integrated with mobility system

Gait and mobility in patients with gait impairment are important in maintaining and improving their physical and psychological health and to return to society. Thus, the aims of the current study were to develop and evaluate a new wearable exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation assistance integrated with a mobility system (RehabWheel) for patients with gait impairment. A wearable exoskeleton was controlled by artificial pneumatic muscles to mimic joint movement; appropriate gait training was then undertaken. In total, 13 healthy males participated in evaluating RehabWheel by comparing joint angle kinematics and muscle activation patterns during walking over ground with RehabWheel and normal gaits. The joint angle kinematics of the hip and knee joints with RehabWheel were similar to those of normal gait despite differences in their magnitude. Additionally, muscle activations in the hip and knee joints were less during RehabWheel gait than normal gait and were associated with joint kinematics. These findings indicate that RehabWheel may have potential for incorporation into gait rehabilitative training assistance combined with a wheelchair platform for movement. This study is valuable for the initial identification of the practical feasibility of this new mobility system with both mobility and gait rehabilitation functions.