Smart walk assist improves rehabilitation

A mobile harness suspended from the ceiling is now equipped with intelligent motion analysis for tailored walking rehabilitation in people suffering from spinal cord injury, stroke and other neurological disorders affecting gait. 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 results are published in the July 19th edition of Science Translational Medicine. In rehabilitation involving neurological disorders or injury, teaching the nervous system to adopt the correct movements is a major challenge. The loss of muscle mass that prevents people from walking correctly, as does the neurological wiring that needs to be trained to relearn proper posture and walking movements. As long as the patient repeats unnatural movements, the nervous system will keep on remembering the flawed motion.