Intelligently controllable Ankle Foot Orthosis (I-AFO) and its application for a patient of Guillain-Barre syndrome

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are orthotic devices supporting movements of ankles for disabled people for example hemiplegia, peroneal nerve palsy, etc. In our research, we have developed the intelligently controllable AFO (I-AFO) which can control its ankle torque by using compact magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) brakes. In this paper, we describe the gait-control tests with I-AFO for a patient of the Guillain-Barre syndrome. The subject has difficulty in his voluntary movement of the peripheral part of the inferior limb, and there are physical limitations on his ankle. By applying the I-AFO, his gait control was improved by the prevention of drop-foot in the swing-phase and the forward promotion in the stance-phase.