Hand free standing of a normal and paraplegic subject in a mechanical rotating frame

The ability of a normal and a paraplegic subject to stand in a rotational frame was experimentally evaluated. A mechanical frame constraining motor and sensory functions of the lower limbs and providing variable stiffness in the artificial ankle joint was designed and built. Auditory feedback representing the inclination of the lower part of the body was provided to the subject in addition to visual and vestibular information. The experiment was conducted over four consecutive days. We showed that both intact and paraplegic subjects were capable of standing in constrained conditions.