Title :
Gait trainer for children with spastic cerebral palsy
Author :
Urhan, Oguzhan ; Dincer, Hasan
Author_Institution :
Electron. & Commun. Syst. Res. Center, Univ. of Kocaeli, Izmit, Turkey
Abstract :
A device is developed to improve the walking ability of children with spastic cerebral palsy, who have damage to the area of their brain which controls muscle tone and that causes trouble walking by using their toes instead of applying a steady force to their heels. This device can be adjusted to a correct pressure level to the heels and variations from this value can be displayed by audio and visual signals. In addition to all these valuable signals, the data collected during the walking therapy is stored in a microcontroller and transferred to a computer to provide a database for physical therapy (PT) and for children with cerebral palsy. By using this data, a better walking therapy program can be developed by special PT teachers.
Keywords :
biocontrol; biomedical electronics; biomedical transducers; feedback; force sensors; gait analysis; handicapped aids; paediatrics; strain gauges; audio signals; biofeedback therapy; children; connection cables; force transducer; gait trainer; instrumentation amplifier; load cell; microcontroller; muscle tone; spastic cerebral palsy; strain gage; visual signals; waist-mountable-part; walking ability; walking therapy; Arm; Birth disorders; Force control; Force feedback; Injuries; Leg; Legged locomotion; Medical treatment; Muscles; Respiratory system;
Conference_Titel :
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2001. Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7211-5
DOI :
10.1109/IEMBS.2001.1020462