Surprising way to make walking easier
Date:
March 31, 2022
Source:
Oregon Health & Science University
Summary:
New findings describe a novel way to reduce the energy people
spend to walk, as much as by half, which could have applications
for therapy received by patients with impaired walking abilities.
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Findings describe a novel way to reduce the energy people spend to walk,
as much as by half, which could have applications for therapy received
by patients with impaired walking abilities.
==========================================================================
The research, conducted at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and
published in the journal Science Robotics, demonstrates that the optimal
way to assist with a wearable device does not always align with intuition.
Based on previous literature, the researchers believed they would see the highest energy savings by pulling with a waist tether when the individual
is trying to propel forward against the ground. That hypothesis was
based on a bioinspired assistance strategy, meaning it is inspired by
how our biological muscles work during walking.
"Although bioinspired actuation can have certain benefits, our
study demonstrates that this is not necessarily the best strategy for
providing the greatest reduction in metabolic cost or energy expended,"
said Prokopios Antonellis, Ph.D., first author of the study and now a postdoctoral fellow at Oregon Health & Science University. "This finding supports a greater emphasis on biomechanical testing rather than trying
to predict optimal bioinspired strategies," said Antonellis, who performed
the research during his doctoral program at UNO.
The approach of using biomechanical testing to optimize a robotic
waist tether is highlighted as one of different unique approaches for
designing personalized assistance in an editorial published March 30 by
Amos Matsiko, Ph.D., senior editor of Science Robotics.
The timing This research shows that a strategically-timed pull from a
waist belt connected to a pulley can help an individual use less energy
for each step while walking.
However, the optimal timing of that forward pull was what came as
a surprise.
========================================================================== "When we walk, there is a short period between steps where one foot is
stopping its forward motion while the other is preparing to accelerate to
take the next step forward. Our research shows that this brief window
where both feet are on the ground is the best time to apply force
to assist walking most efficiently," said Philippe Malcolm, Ph.D.,
assistant professor in biomechanics at UNO.
The device works by providing timed pulls from a motorized pulley while
an individual walks on a treadmill. Since it only requires wearing a
waist belt, it is relatively easy to make individualized adjustments
compared to more complicated devices.
Clinical implications The findings about optimal timing could have
applications for exercise therapists in clinical settings providing care
for patients with conditions such as peripheral artery disease. Iraklis Pipinos, M.D., a vascular surgeon at the University of Nebraska Medical
Center and the Omaha VA Medical Center, who collaborated with the study
team, sees the benefits of this research.
"My patients have hardening of their arteries causing problems in the circulation to their legs, resulting in leg pain and reduced mobility,"
said Pipinos. "I was touched to hear that certain patients felt relief
in their legs for the first time when they tried the device. We are
now thinking of ways these methods can be used in everyday practice,
for example, by using systems for assisted walking exercise therapy at
physical therapy clinics." UNO graduate student Arash Mohammadzadeh
Gonabadi and UNO faculty member Sara Myers, Ph.D., also contributed
to the study. The research team was supported by funding from the
NIH (P20GM109090, R01HD090333, R01AG034995, and R01AG049868), the VA (I01RX003266), and Nebraska EPSCOR (OIA-1557417).
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Oregon_Health_&_Science_University. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Prokopios Antonellis, Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi, Sara A. Myers,
Iraklis I. Pipinos, Philippe Malcolm. Metabolically
efficient walking assistance using optimized timed
forces at the waist. Science Robotics, 2022; 7 (64) DOI:
10.1126/scirobotics.abh1925 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220331101614.htm
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