Gait Rehabilitation System Using a Non-Wearing Type Pneumatic Power Assist Device

Abstract

In Japan, approximately 1.1 million people suffer from cerebrovascular diseases such as cerebral stroke, which can further increase due to the aging society. Therefore, rehabilitation for the physical recovery of patients with hemiplegia caused by cerebrovascular disease plays an important role in maintaining and improving their quality of life (QoL). In rehabilitation facilities, crutches and parallel bars are the mainstream, but patients support their body with their arms, causing falls and fatigue, leading to deterioration of motivation in long-term rehabilitation. Although a few hanging-type devices have been developed to cope with such issues, they occupy large space, require time to wear, and have a high introduction cost. In this study, we developed a non-wearing-type pneumatic power assist device for gait rehabilitation to ensure patients can sustain their body weight by pushing up their armpit and quantitatively verified the effectiveness of the device.