A Novel Gait Assistance System Based on an Active Knee Orthosis and a Haptic Cane for Overground Walking

The use of an active knee orthosis can cause postural instability in hemiparetic users due to its weight and the uncompensated dynamics of the paralyzed limb. Here, we have proposed a gait assistance system that combines a haptic cane and an active knee orthosis for post-stroke over-ground gait training. The haptic cane is composed of a tilted conventional cane mounted on a motorized wheel, and the active knee orthosis device is based on a novel kinematic design. The proposed system can provide postural stability through proprioceptive augmentation, while providing support to the affected lower limb. To identify the effects and potential implications of the proposed gait assistance system, a pilot study was performed with one young healthy subject wearing an ankle weight (4 kg) on one leg. Improvements were observed in mediolateral and anteroposterior trunk sway. The proposed gait assistance system exhibited promising outcomes in this pilot study. The translation of this enhanced gait stability to hemiparetic stroke suffering individuals is warranted.