Four-legged gait planning method for a mobile medical exoskeleton with a pair of crutches

Abstract

In order to help spinal cord injury (SCI) patients to walk again, a medical robot exoskeleton have been developed to assist these patients to walk independently in SIAT, Shenzhen. The robot has an under-drive control structure. The wearer can maintain balance and shift his (her) body weight with the aid of a pair of crutches. On this robot we have implemented a four-legged gait planning method. Through analysis of normal gait, modifications have been made so that the gait of the robot can serve a SCI patient well. A paraplegic patient acted as a volunteer has involved in the experiments. The results of experiments illustrated the effectiveness of the proposed gait planning method.