Medical University of South Carolina
Many people who have experienced a stroke have deficits in their walking balance. The long-term goal of this research is to develop an exoskeleton that can effectively improve walking balance, thus improving functional mobility.
Walking balance is an important component of functional mobility, with post-stroke balance deficits contributing to a fall rate more than double that of age-matched controls. Unfortunately, traditional therapy approaches have not succeeded in addressing balance deficits or reducing fall risk, motivating the use of technology to fill this gap. Although assistive exoskeletons are a promising approach to improve post-stroke mobility, they have generally not been designed to control walking balance and agility. This limitation is a particular concern in the development of devices for people with s…
Inclusion Criteria: * Evidence of a stroke at least 6 months prior to participation * Evidence of dysfunction of the paretic lower limb (Fugl-Meyer lower extremity motor score \< 34) * At least 21 years of age * Self-reported experience of a fall in the previous year, and/or a fear of falling * Gait speed of at least 0.2 m/s * Ability to walk on a treadmill without a cane or walker * Ability to follow three step commands and communicate with experimenters to answer questions (e.g., regarding their balance confidence) * Provision of informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Resting blood pressu…
The participant will not wear an exoskeleton
The participant will wear an exoskeleton with zero impedance
The participant will wear an exoskeleton with low joint impedance
The participant will wear an exoskeleton with medium joint impedance
The participant will wear an exoskeleton with high impedance
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