Immediate Effect of Ankle Exoskeleton on Spatiotemporal Parameters and Center of Pressure Trajectory After Stroke.

Gait impairments is a common condition in post-stroke subjects. We recently presented a wearable ankle exoskeleton called G-Exos, which showed that the device assisted in the ankle's dorsiflexion and inversion/reversion movements. The aim of the current pilot study was to explore spatiotemporal gait parameters and center of pressure trajectories associated with the use of the G-Exos in stroke participants. Three post-stroke subjects (52-63 years, 2 female/1 male) walked 160-meter using the G-Exos on the affected limb, on a protocol divided into 4 blocks of 40-meters: (I) without the exoskeleton, (II) with systems hybrid system, (III) active only and (IV) passive only. The results showed that the use of the exoskeleton improved swing and stance phases on both limbs, reduced stride width on the paretic limb, increased stance COP distances, and made single support COP distances more similar between the paretic and non-paretic limb. This suggests that all G-Exos systems contributed to improving body weight bearing on the paretic limb and symmetry in the gait cycle.

Corrigendum: G-Exos: A wearable gait exoskeleton for walk assistance.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2022.939241.].

G-Exos: A wearable gait exoskeleton for walk assistance.

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and one of the leading causes of disability in the world. According to the World Health Organization, 11 million people suffer a stroke yearly. The cost of the disease is exorbitant, and the most widely used treatment is conventional physiotherapy. Therefore, assistive technology emerges to optimize rehabilitation and functional capabilities, but cost, robustness, usability, and long-term results still restrict the technology selection. This work aimed to develop a low-cost ankle orthosis, the G-Exos, a wearable exoskeleton to increase motor capability by assisting dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, and ankle stability. A hybrid system provided near-natural gait movements using active, motor, and passive assistance, elastic band. The system was validated with 10 volunteers with foot drop: seven with stroke, two with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), and one with acute inflammatory transverse myelitis (ATM). The G-Exos showed assistive functionality for gait movement. A Friedman test showed a significant difference in dorsiflexion amplitude with the use of the G-Exos compared to gait without the use of the G-Exos [x 2 (3) = 98.56, p < 0.001]. In addition, there was also a significant difference in ankle eversion and inversion comparing walking with and without the G-Exos [x 2 (3) = 36.12, p < 0.001]. The G-Exos is a robust, lightweight, and flexible assistive technology device to detect the gait phase accurately and provide better human-machine interaction. G-Exos training improved capability to deal with gait disorders, usability, and motor and functional recovery. Wearable assistive technologies lead to a better quality of life and contribute using in activities of daily living.