On the design of an ischiatic body weight support system (IBWS) for gait rehabilitation

Little attention has been devoted to enabling Robot assisted gait rehabilitation of locomotion disorders from orthopedic origin. This paper proposes a weight support system for gait rehabilitation research in clinical environments that includes a novel pelvic support attached to a Cartesian assistive manipulator. Such an actuation configuration allows studying the patient's ambulation when wearing supporting devices. A basic dynamic model and control is done for testing system functionality. Preliminary experiments in weight-bearing walking are presented. The results showed the electrical and software architecture provided a stable platform for controlling the actuation mechanisms. Load relieve accompanied of full joint motion indicates the suitability of the proposed system for rehabilitation of locomotion disorders from orthopedic origin.