A study of new assistive device of standing balance and gait with sensory stimulation for the elderly and the disabled persons

老年人跌倒的一个主要原因是与年龄相关的平衡能力下降，这不仅会影响力量和其他类型运动功能的下降，还会影响通过感觉功能下降的姿势控制。我们开发了一种新的设备，用于评估老年人站立时脚趾和脚底的触觉。我们分析了老年人和年轻人在使用活动平台时的动态站立平衡。此外，基于这些评估，我们开发了一种方法，将振动感刺激应用于鞋底，以指示用户在站立或行走时如何将重心转移到最佳位置。本研究结果表明，鞋内振动刺激是一种有效的技术，以帮助老年人纠正姿势不稳定，特别是前/后身体摇摆。

One major cause of falls among the elderly is reduced balance ability associated with aging, which has been shown to affect not only the decline in strength and other types of motor function, but also postural control through declining sensory function. We developed a new device for evaluating tactile sensation in the toes and soles of elderly adults while standing. We analyzed dynamic standing balance in the elderly and the young groups for using a movable platform. Moreover, based on these evaluations, we developed a method for applying vibratory sense stimulation to the soles to indicate to the user how to shift the center of gravity to an optimal position while standing or walking. The present results indicated that the vibratory stimulation inside the shoes was an effective technique for assisting elderly individuals in correcting postural instability, particularly forward/backward body sway.