Passive Exoskeleton with Gait-Based Knee Joint Support for Individuals with Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder with a variety of symptoms that can affect muscle coordination and movement. Crouch gait is one such symptom that is defined as excessive knee flexion accompanied by a crouched posture. This paper introduces a passive exoskeleton to support the knee joint during stance of individuals with cerebral palsy that are affected by crouch gait. The exoskeleton utilizes a hydraulic disc brake mechanism that is actuated only by the body weight and gait of the wearer to provide a braking torque at the knee joint. This passive, gait-based control method aims to offer a compact, lightweight, and simple alternative to existing exoskeletons. Preliminary experiments were conducted to verify the mechanics, safety, and braking capabilities of the device with healthy participants. A pilot study with an individual with cerebral palsy was then conducted. The individual with cerebral palsy showed a reduction in hip joint angle when using the device (18.8∘ and 21.7∘ for left and right sides, respectively). The muscle co-activation index was also reduced from 0.48 to 0.24 on the right side and from 0.17 to 0.017 on the left side. However, changes such as activation timing and device training need to be improved to better support the user.

Max Well-Being: a modular platform for the gamification of rehabilitation.

This study proposes a modular platform to improve the adoption of gamification in conventional physical rehabilitation programs. The effectiveness of rehabilitation is correlated to a patient's adherence to the program. This adherence can be diminished due to factors such as motivation, feedback, and isolation. Gamification is a means of adding game-like elements to a traditionally non-game activity. This has been shown to be effective in providing a more engaging experience and improving adherence. The platform is made of three main parts; a central hardware hub, various wired and wireless sensors, and a software program with a stream-lined user interface. The software interface and hardware peripherals were all designed to be simple to use by either a medical specialist or an end-user patient without the need for technical training. A usability study was performed using a group of university students and a group of medical specialists. Using the System Usability Scale, the system received an average score of 69.25 ± 20.14 and 72.5 ± 17.16 by the students and medical specialists, respectively. We also present a framework that attempts to assist in selecting commercial games that are viable for physical rehabilitation.