I-Corps: Walking Crutch/Cane for Enhanced Assistance, Balance, and Control of Walking Dynamics

600万美国人因慢性病使用拐杖，手杖或助行器进行行动援助，超过1000万美国人因临时受伤而使用拐杖。通常需要使用拐杖或手杖辅助行走的用户包括患有脑瘫、中风和其他神经系统疾病、腿部骨折、脚踝扭伤、平衡受限和外骨骼的个体。虽然拐杖和手杖对于许多人的行走辅助和康复是必不可少的，但在过去的世纪中，这些设计并没有显著改变。用户经常报告舒适性和无法长距离行走的问题。长期行走的不适和缺乏部分源于橡胶尖端不稳定并且不提供任何帮助来推动人前进。点或恒定半径的尖端在拐杖尖端上摆动或滚动期间不能帮助或抵抗用户，并且所有向前行进力都是由用户在拐杖上向前推动自己产生的。该项目的目的是开发先进和低成本的步行拐杖/手杖，能够被动和有效地帮助用户在平地或上山行走，同时也提高了控制和平衡，在站立或下山行走。放置一个适当设计的动力形状的拐杖/手杖尖端可以产生一个滚动力的基础上，由用户施加的垂直力？的重量。这些拐杖/手杖翻转形状可以是被动的和预定的，或者是主动改变的形状，这可以适应不同的行走环境和用户偏好。主动变化的拐杖/手杖尖端还允许拐杖/手杖根据需要自行站立，因此用户能够腾出他们的手用于其他日常动作，例如与某人握手或按下电梯按钮。有一个拐杖/手杖能够独立站立是一个功能，几个长期使用手杖兴奋。

Six million Americans use crutches, canes, or walkers for mobility assistance due to chronic conditions and more than 10 million Americans use crutches due to temporary injuries. Users who commonly require walking assistance using crutches or a walking cane include individuals with cerebral palsy, stroke and other neurological diseases, a fractured leg, sprained ankle, limited balance, and an exoskeleton. Although crutches and canes are imperative to walking assistance and rehabilitation for many individuals, the designs have not significantly changed in the past century. Users frequently report problems with comfort and the inability to walk long distances. The discomfort and lack of long-term walking partially stems from the rubber point tip that is unstable and does not provide any assistance propelling the person forward. A point or constant radius tip cannot assist or resist the user during swinging or rolling over the crutch tip, and all forward progression forces are generated by the users pushing themselves forward over the crutch. The aim of this project is to develop advanced and low-cost walking crutches/canes that are able to passively and effectively assist users during level ground or up-hill walking, while also enhancing control and balance during standing or down-hill walking.Placing a properly designed kinetic shape on the crutch/cane tip can generate a rolling force based on the vertical force applied by the user?s weight. These crutch/cane roll-over shapes can either be passive and predetermined or actively changing shapes, which can accommodate different walking environments and user preferences. An actively changing crutch/cane tip also allows for the crutch/cane to stand up on its own as needed so users are able to free their hands for other everyday motions, for example shaking someone's hand or pushing an elevator button. Having a crutch/cane be able to stand up independently is a feature that several chronic users of canes are excited about.