Smart Walk Assist Improves Rehabilitation
From: Wireless Design Magazine - 07/25/2017

Scientists from NCCR Robotics at EPFL and at the Lausanne University Hospital
(CHUV) developed an algorithm that adjusts how a mobile harness, suspended
from the ceiling, assists patients suffering from spinal cord injury or
stroke. In a clinical study with over 30 patients, the scientists showed that
the patients wearing the smart walking assist immediately improved their
locomotor abilities, enabling them to perform activities of daily living that
would not be possible without the support.

The idea of the smart walking assist is to promote natural walking in
patients so that the nervous system learns how to walk normally again.
Body-weight support systems are already used in rehabilitation. In this
latest study, it is the first time such a support system operates in
conjunction with an algorithm that tailors the assistance to each and every
patient.

The algorithm is based on careful monitoring of the patient as he or she
moves, including parameters like leg movement, length of stride and muscle
activity. Based on these observations, the algorithm determines the forces to
be applied to the trunk of the body, via the smart walking assist, in order
to enable natural walking patterns. Concretely, this translates into either
relieving the patient of his or her own weight, pushing the patient forwards
or backwards, to one side or the other, or a combination of the above, for a
more natural posture.

The research results triggered the development of the next-generation smart
walking assist device, termed RYSEN, which is performed under the umbrella of
EUROSTARS, a European Union subsidy project.

Read the entire article at:
https://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/news/2017/07/smart-walk-assist-improves-rehabilitation
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170719141101.htm
http://neurosciencenews.com/smart-walk-assist-rehab-7134

Video:
Smart walk assist improves rehabilitation (1:49)
https://youtu.be/tiQa8HJtlUY

Related:
From Rats to Humans: Project NEUWalk Closer to Clinical Trials
https://www.mdtmag.com/news/2014/09/rats-humans-project-neuwalk-closer-clinical-trials

Leg Movement Restored In Primates Using Wireless Neural Interface
https://www.mdtmag.com/news/2016/11/leg-movement-restored-primates-using-wireless-neural-interface

Wearable Robotic Exoskeletons: Science Fiction Meets Multiple Sclerosis
https://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/news/2016/02/wearable-robotic-exoskeletons-science-fiction-meets-multiple-sclerosis

Precise Nerve Stimulation Via Electrode Implants Offers New Hope for
  Paralysis Patients
https://www.mdtmag.com/news/2016/11/precise-nerve-stimulation-electrode-implants-offers-new-hope-paralysis-patients

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Smart Harness Can Help You Walk
From: Medical Design Technology - 08/08/2017
By: Lexie Metzler

For patients learning to walk again after a stroke or spinal cord injury, the
rehabilitation process can be slow and arduous. The traditional approach
involves one or more therapists holding the patient up as they haltingly put
one foot in front of the other. It’s tough, sweaty and labor-intensive.

Now, Swiss scientists have developed a robotic harness to help make things
easier. The harness, which is attached to the ceiling, is backed by a deep
neural network algorithm that can “learn” where a particular person needs the
most support. Using the harness, patients who normally need heavy assistance
to walk can roam freely around the therapy room.

The harness, which is attached to the ceiling, is backed by a deep neural
network algorithm that can “learn” where a particular person needs the most
support. Using the harness, patients who normally need heavy assistance to
walk can roam freely around the therapy room.

Read the entire article and view a video (1:49) at:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/robotic-harness-help-paralyzed-walk-180964323

Links:
A multidirectional gravity-assist algorithm that enhances locomotor control
  in patients with stroke or spinal cord injury
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/399/eaah3621

'Smart' Robot Technology Could Give Stroke Rehab a Boost
http://health.usnews.com/health-care/articles/2017-07-19/smart-robot-technology-could-give-stroke-rehab-a-boost