Gait Intention Estimation Based on Preliminary Motion for Complete Spinal Cord Injury Patients

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This study proposes a gait intention algorithm that infers the swing speed as well as detects the moment to start the swing leg based on a preliminary motion, i.e.. behavior of the center of ground reaction forces, instead of detecting bioelectrical signals. The preliminary motion is a kind of voluntary motion that is detectable immediately before a person starts a walking motion. After the experiments using a mannequin equipped with the exoskeleton robot (Hybrid Assistive Limb: HAL) including the proposed algorithm, we conducted realistic tests with a severe spinal cord injury patient (ASIA classification; grade A) wearing the gait support system. As a result, HAL with the proposed algorithm supported the patient's gait while adjusting the speed of the swing leg. Through the tests, we demonstrated the effectiveness and practical feasibility of the algorithm.