Virtual Robot for Interactive Gait Training Improving Regularity and Dynamic Stability of the Stride Patterns

In this paper, we analyzed the gait support procedure of the lower limb\´s disturbance by our proposed gait support robot "Walk-Mate". "Walk-Mate" is a virtual locomotion robot, which supports the handicapped gait motion by presenting acoustic rhythmic stimuli controlled dynamically by its user\´s gait motion. We focused on the hemiplegia of lower limb and measured improvement of bilateral asymmetry with Walk-Mate\´s support. As the results, we found that the improvement procedure is realized by following characteristic two mechanisms; Short-term control with about 10 seconds of timescale for the improvement of the phase characteristics of the footstep rhythm and Long-term control with about a minute of timescale for the improvement of the complexity of gait motion pattern. Therefore the result suggests that Walk-Mate\´s rhythmic control mechanism is effective to improve the gait disturbance, from the viewpoints of the rhythm and complexity of gait, and that the improvements are realized by a two-level hierarchical control mechanism in interaction with the dynamic environment.