A Novel Elastic Force-Field to Influence Mediolateral Foot Placement During Walking.
A Novel Elastic Force-Field to Influence Mediolateral Foot Placement During Walking.
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一种影响步行过程中足部内侧放置的新型弹性力场。
DOI：
10.1109/tnsre.2016.2633960
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发表时间：
2017
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Dean,JesseC
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Nyberg,ElizabethT;Broadway,Jordan;Finetto,Christian;Dean,JesseC
双足步态可以通过机械适当的内外侧足部放置来稳定，尽管这种策略在一部分神经损伤的平衡缺陷个体中被破坏。本研究的目的是开发一种设备，以影响在跑步机行走过程中的中外侧脚的位置。我们使用被动弹性和主动控制相结合的方法创建了一个新的力场;与拉伸弹簧串联的电线平行于跑步机皮带运行，可以快速重新定位，以在用户的腿上施加内外侧力。这种机械结构产生了一个通道状的力景观，抵抗每个腿远离其规定的内外侧位置的位移，产生近线性的有效内外侧刚度。这些力场通道的深度可以通过操纵拉伸弹簧的初始张力来可预测地控制。在人体测试中，我们发现力场可以在需要时有效地“让开”，以大约110 ms的延迟紧跟中外侧腿部轨迹。力场还可以鼓励用户调整其中外侧脚部位置，以便以更窄或更宽的步伐行走，而不会干扰向前的步态进展。未来的工作将测试这种新型设备是否可以帮助临床人群重新训练稳定的步态模式。
Bipedal gait can be stabilized through mechanically-appropriate mediolateral foot placement, although this strategy is disrupted in a subset of neurologically injured individuals with balance deficits. The goal of the present work was to develop a device to influence mediolateral foot placement during treadmill walking. We created a novel force-field using a combination of passive elasticity and active control; wires in series with extension springs run parallel to the treadmill belts and can be rapidly repositioned to exert mediolateral forces on the legs of users. This mechanical structure creates a channel-like force landscape that resists displacements of each leg away from its prescribed mediolateral position, producing near-linear effective mediolateral stiffness. The depth of these force-field channels can be predictably controlled by manipulating extension spring initial tension. In human testing, we found that the force-field can effectively “get-out-of-the-way” when desired, closely following the mediolateral leg trajectory with a delay of approximately 110 ms. The force-field can also encourage users to adjust their mediolateral foot placement in order to walk with either narrower or wider steps, without interfering with forward gait progression. Future work will test whether this novel device can help retrain a stable gait pattern in clinical populations.