Gait Entrainment to Torque Pulses From a Hip Exoskeleton Robot
Name
Gait_Entrainment_to_Torque_Pulses_From_a_Hip_Exoskeleton_Robot.pdf
Size
2.84 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
62dce2a95d88eef1989426f9584e72b4
Author(s)
Lee, Jongwoo
Huber, Meghan E.
Hogan, Neville
Date Issued
2022
Journal
IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Citation
Lee, Jongwoo, Huber, Meghan E. and Hogan, Neville. 2022. "Gait Entrainment to Torque Pulses From a Hip Exoskeleton Robot." IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 30.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Robot-aided locomotor rehabilitation has proven challenging. To facilitate progress, it is important to first understand the neuro-mechanical dynamics and control of unimpaired human locomotion. Our previous studies found that human gait entrained to periodic torque pulses at the ankle when the pulse period was close to preferred stride duration. Moreover, synchronized gait exhibited a constant phase relation with the pulses so that the robot provided mechanical assistance. To test the generality of mechanical gait entrainment, this study characterized unimpaired human subjects' responses to periodic torque pulses during overground walking. The intervention was applied by a hip exoskeleton robot, Samsung GEMS-H. Gait entrainment was assessed based on the time-course of the phase at which torque pulses occurred within each stride. Experiments were conducted for two consecutive days to evaluate whether the second day elicited more entrainment. Whether entrainment was affected by the difference between pulse period and preferred stride duration was also assessed. Results indicated that the intervention evoked gait entrainment that occurred more often when the period of perturbation was closer to subjects' preferred stride duration, but the difference between consecutive days was insignificant. Entrainment was accompanied by convergence of pulse phase to a similar value across all conditions, where the robot maximized mechanical assistance. Clear evidence of motor adaptation indicated the potential of the intervention for rehabilitation. This study quantified important aspects of the nonlinear neuro-mechanical dynamics underlying unimpaired human walking, which will inform the development of effective approaches to robot-aided locomotor rehabilitation, exploiting natural dynamics in a minimally-encumbering way.
Subjects
Biomedical Engineering
General Neuroscience
Internal Medicine
Rehabilitation
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1109/tnsre.2022.3155770
