Increasing exercise intensity during outside walking training with a wearable robot
Open access
Date
2020Type
- Conference Paper
Abstract
For many neuromuscular conditions including spinal cord injury, physical exercise training is a recommended part of treatment. High intensity exercise has been found to more effectively promote ambulatory function than moderate intensity exercise. To reach optimal intensity levels, fully ambulatory individuals can adjust their walking speed. In contrast, individuals with neuromuscular deficits may not be able to walk, or only at slow speeds that elicit an insufficient cardiovascular response.In our case study with one spinal cord injured patient, we investigated if assistance from a wearable robot, the Myosuit, can increase exercise intensity towards more effective training.During outside uphill-walking trials, assistance from the Myosuit allowed the patient to increase his walking speed by 30 % to 0.48 m/s and increased energy expenditure by 17 % compared to not wearing the suit. An analysis of gait kinematics suggests that the Myosuit facilitated faster walking by replacing missing hip extensor function and promoting a more upright posture. The metabolic equivalents (METS) during walking with the Myosuit of 7.15 indicate a consistently high exercise intensity. In contrast, one of two unassisted trials only reached a moderate intensity (METS < 6). The concurrent increase in speed and energy expenditure when wearing the Myosuit corresponds to a 9 % increase in the efficiency of walking.Our findings show that the Myosuit can increase the efficiency of walking for a user with incomplete spinal cord injury and suggest that the Myosuit can act as a tool to increase the efficacy of movement training. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000451356Publication status
publishedExternal links
Book title
2020 8th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob)Pages / Article No.
Publisher
IEEEEvent
Organisational unit
03654 - Riener, Robert / Riener, Robert
Notes
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the conference was conducted virtually.More
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