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

由于慢性疾病，600万美国人使用拐杖、拐杖或助行器进行行动辅助，1000多万美国人由于暂时受伤而使用拐杖。通常需要使用拐杖或拐杖行走的用户包括脑瘫、中风和其他神经系统疾病、腿部骨折、脚踝扭伤、平衡能力有限和外骨骼的患者。虽然拐杖和拐杖对于许多人的行走辅助和康复是必不可少的，但在过去的一个世纪里，这些设计并没有明显的变化。用户经常报告舒适性和无法走很长距离的问题。长期行走的不适和缺乏部分原因是橡胶尖端不稳定，不能提供任何帮助来推动人前进。点或等半径的尖端在挥动或滚动拐杖尖端时不能帮助或抵抗使用者，所有向前推进的力都是由使用者在拐杖上向前推产生的。该项目的目的是开发先进的、低成本的手杖/拐杖，能够在平地或上坡行走时被动有效地帮助使用者，同时增强站立或下坡行走时的控制和平衡。将适当设计的运动形状放置在拐杖/拐杖尖端可以根据使用者施加的垂直力-S重量-产生滚转力。这些拐杖/拐杖翻转形状可以是被动的和预先确定的，也可以是主动变化的形状，可以适应不同的行走环境和用户偏好。主动变化的拐杖/拐杖尖端还允许拐杖/拐杖在需要时自动竖起，这样用户就可以腾出手来进行其他日常运动，例如握手或按电梯按钮。拐杖/拐杖能够独立站立是一些长期使用拐杖的人感到兴奋的特点。

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.