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衰老相关的平衡能力下降，这不仅会影响力量和其他类型的运动功能的下降，而且还会通过感觉功能的下降影响姿势控制。我们开发了一种新的装置，用于评估老年人站立时脚趾和脚底的触觉感觉。我们分析了老年人和年轻人使用可移动平台时的动态站立平衡。此外，在这些评估的基础上，我们开发了一种对鞋底进行振动感觉刺激的方法，以指示用户在站立或行走时如何将重心移动到最佳位置。结果表明，鞋内振动刺激是一种有效的辅助老年人纠正姿势不稳，特别是身体前/后摆动的技术。

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.