日本福祉工学会誌 論文 概要日本福祉工学会誌 Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 16-23 (2017) |
The four-wheeled walker is an assistive product for elderly persons with walking. Recently, a walker is equipped with robotics technology using some sensors and motors for gait assistance on various road conditions. In this study, an assisting effect of the walker equipped with robotics technology was investigated by acceleration applied to the walker and the user’s trunk when the user traversed a sloped surface. Participants were elderly males and females aged from 65 to 82 years old. They walked with two types of walkers under two handle heights (low and high) and three gait conditions (a flat road with no baggage, a sloped surface with and without baggage). The walkers with or without robotics technology were used. When the participant used the walker with robotics technology, the walking velocity was not different significantly, but the forward-backward and lateral acceleration applied to the walker became larger compared with the ready-made walker. The walker with robotics technology gave an assisting effect by detecting a slope angle with sensors and by controlling respective propulsion powers to right and left rear wheels with motors while the user traversed a sloped surface with the walker.
Key words: Walking velocity, Propulsion power, Handle height, Lateral acceleration