Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION
Volume 18, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
BMC
DOI: 10.1186/s12984-021-00928-x
Keywords
Passive exosuit; Running assistance; Assistive device; Metabolic cost; Spatiotemporal parameters
Categories
Funding
- Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program - Ministry of Trade, Industry, & Energy (MOTIE, Korea) [20007058]
- National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) - Korea government (MSIT) [2021R1A4A3030268]
- Chung-Ang University
- Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) [20007058] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
- National Research Foundation of Korea [2021R1A4A3030268] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
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A lightweight running assistive device with a low-profile design was developed in this study, which was found to reduce metabolic rate during running without significant changes in spatiotemporal parameters.
Background Human beings can enhance their distance running performance with the help of assistive devices. Although several such devices are available, they are heavy and bulky, which limits their use in everyday activities. In this study, we developed a lightweight running assistive device with a low-profile design. The device applies a flexion moment to the hip according to the hip extension within a specific range of motion to assist running. Methods A passive exosuit was fabricated using textile materials and elastic bands. The deformation of the suit was measured and compensated for in the design. The fabricated suit was tested on eight participants (age: 24.4 +/- 3.8 y; height: 1.72 +/- 0.05 m; weight: 74.5 +/- 6.1 kg) who were instructed to run on a treadmill at a speed of 2.5 m/s. Through indirect calorimetry, the metabolic rate was measured for the no-suit condition and three band conditions. Variations in the spatiotemporal parameters were measured using a motion capture system and force-sensing resistors (FSRs). Results When using the fabricated device, seven out of the eight participants exhibited a reduced metabolic rate in at least one of the three band conditions. An average reduction of - 4.7 +/- 1.4% (mean +/- standard error of the mean (s.e.m.), two-sided paired t-test, p = 0.017) was achieved when using the best-fitting bands compared to the average of the two no-suit conditions. No statistically significant changes were observed in the spatiotemporal parameters, except for the stance duration in the medium assistance force condition. Conclusions The proposed passive exosuit, which has a low weight of 609 g and small extrusion of 2.5 cm from the body in standing posture, can reduce the metabolic rate during running. The proposed device can potentially be used every day owing to its low-profile design and low weight, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing portable devices targeting the hip joints.
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