Verification of the Gait-Assist Patterns to the Pelvis in a Wheeled Upright Walker to Build Robotic Assistive Control

We aim to develop a robotic assistive walker that assists the user’s pelvis with the robotic arms. It would help the possibility that the patients or frail elderly can practice walking by themselves safely and efficiently. We measured the force and moment produced by a physiotherapist (PT) assisting the subjects’ gait in a wheeled upright walker under the condition of the 70% partial weight-bearing on their right foot. We verified the effects of the assistance by the PT on the walker gait, associating it with the results of the assistive patterns. Our results showed a noticeable force to assist in loading the right foot in the early stance phase and force to restrain the subjects from loading on the right foot in the mid-stance phase. In swing phases, we could find forces and moments to assist in swinging the lower extremities forward on both sides. We used the load on the right foot and the maximum pelvic rotation angle to verify the effect of the assistance by the PT, resulting in that we could obtain the gait characteristics with the assistance during the wheeled upright walker gait. Our outcomes can be significant for developing the robotic assistive walker.