Robotic exoskeletons are regarded as promising technologies for neurological gait rehabilitation but have been investigated comparatively little as training aides to facilitate active aging in the elderly. This study investigated the feasibility of an exoskeletal Active Pelvis Orthosis (APO) for cardiopulmonary gait training in the elderly. Ten healthy elderly volunteers exhibited a decreased (−26.6 ± 16.1%) Metabolic Cost of Transport (MCoT) during treadmill walking following a 4-week APO-assisted training program, while no significant changes were observed for a randomly assigned control group (n = 10) performing traditional self-paced overground walking. Moreover, robot-assisted locomotion was found to require 4.24 ± 2.57% less oxygen consumption than free treadmill walking at the same speed. These findings support the adoption of exoskeletal devices for the training of frail individuals, thus opening new possibilities for sustainable strategies for healthy aging.
Gait training using a robotic hip exoskeleton improves metabolic gait efficiency in the elderly
Martini E.;Crea S.;Parri A.;Faraguna U.;MCKINNEY, ZACHARY BROOKS;Vitiello N.
2019-01-01
Abstract
Robotic exoskeletons are regarded as promising technologies for neurological gait rehabilitation but have been investigated comparatively little as training aides to facilitate active aging in the elderly. This study investigated the feasibility of an exoskeletal Active Pelvis Orthosis (APO) for cardiopulmonary gait training in the elderly. Ten healthy elderly volunteers exhibited a decreased (−26.6 ± 16.1%) Metabolic Cost of Transport (MCoT) during treadmill walking following a 4-week APO-assisted training program, while no significant changes were observed for a randomly assigned control group (n = 10) performing traditional self-paced overground walking. Moreover, robot-assisted locomotion was found to require 4.24 ± 2.57% less oxygen consumption than free treadmill walking at the same speed. These findings support the adoption of exoskeletal devices for the training of frail individuals, thus opening new possibilities for sustainable strategies for healthy aging.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
s41598-019-43628-2.pdf
accesso aperto
Descrizione: File pubblicato dall'editore
Tipologia:
Documento in Post-print/Accepted manuscript
Licenza:
Licenza non conosciuta
Dimensione
1.49 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
1.49 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
