Development of power assist walk training machine using the resonance

随着老龄化社会的到来，对家庭医疗的需求也随之增加。对于老年人或残疾人来说，为了恢复腿部的功能或有自主意识地参与社会活动，用腿行走是非常重要的，行走是身体中心前后、上下、左右的振动运动，通过弯曲和伸展腿。提出并研制了一种地板上下移动的螺杆式步行训练器。对部分步行障碍者和正常人使用该机器进行了测试，并对残疾人和正常人的肢体运动轨迹和地板反力进行了比较，明确了残疾人行走障碍的程度。提出并研制了一种利用地板垂直振动的叉车式步行训练机。通过对老年人肢体运动轨迹和地板反力的测量表明，地板振动次数小于足部共振点对康复是有效的。本研究已接近完成一台可在家中使用的步行训练机。

An aging society approaches, and the need of the home medical treatment rises. It is hoping for the development of the walk training machine which rehabilitation is made in the home.For the aged persons or the handicapped persons, it is important to walk on their legs because of making recover their leg's function or having own volition to participant the society.Walk is a vibrating motion of the body center, which moves back and forward, up and down, and right and left, by bending and stretching the legs. A screw-link type walk training machine that floorboard moved up and down was proposed and developed. Some walk handicapped persons and normal persons use this machine and the paths of handicapped person's physical parts and the reaction forces of floorboard were compared with those of the normal persons, and it is cleared that the data show the degree of the walking disorder of the walk handicapped persons. Then a new walk training machine with forklift mechanism using vertical vibration of floorboard is proposed and developed. It is shown by measuring the paths of aged person's physical parts and the reaction forces of floorboard that the number of vibrations of the floor less than the resonance point of the foot is effective for the rehabilitation. A walk training machine, which can be used at home was near completion by this study.