• 한국정밀공학회지
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.44-51
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• 2002

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.269-274
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to develop the FSR sensor suit that controls walking assist device for paraplegic patients. The FSR sensor suit was to detect user's intent and patterns for walking by measuring pressure on the palm and the sole of user's foot. It consisted of four modules: sensing pressure from palm, changing modes and detecting pressure on the palm/at the wrist, sensing pressure from the soles of user's foot, and host module that transmit FSR data obtained from sensing modules to PC. Sensing modules were connected to sensing pads which detect analog signals obtained from the palm or the sole of foot. These collect signals from the target regions, convert analog signals into digital signals, and transmit the final signals to host module via zigbee modules. Finally, host modules transmit the signals to host PC via zigbee modules. The study findings showed that forces measured at the palm when using a stick reflected user's intent to walk and forces at the sole of the user's foot revealed signals detecting walking state.

• 로봇학회논문지
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.144-151
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• 2017

An important characteristic of people with partially impaired walking ability, such as incomplete paraplegics, is that they are able to generate voluntary motion of lower-limbs. Therefore, wearable robots for the incomplete paraplegic patients require a different assistance method compared to those of complete paraplegics. First, the wearable robot should be controlled to not resist wearer's motion. Second, it should be able to generate assistive torque accurately when needed. In this paper, a wearable robot, called EROWA, for the incomplete paraplegic patients is introduced. EROWA utilizes compact rotary series elastic actuators (cRSEAs) and a control method called the zero impedance control to reduce the mechanical resistance. An assistive torque trajectory is proposed to assist gait in this paper. The proposed method is verified by simulation and experimental studies.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제24권6호
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• pp.523-531
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• 2003

본 연구에서는 표면 전극을 사용하는 8채널 전기자극 시스템을 개발하였고. 이 시스템을 이용하여 하반신 마비한자의 근력강화를 위한 전기자극 엑서사이즈와 FES 보행을 하였다. 본 연구에서 개발한 전기자극 시스템은 컴퓨터 프로그램, 전기자극기, 그리고 컴퓨터 프로그램과 전기자극기를 연결하는 통신부분으로 구성되어 있다. 컴퓨터 프로그램에서는 마우스를 이용하여 임의의 자극 패턴을 손쉽게 구성하고 편집학 수 있으며 이렇게 구성/편집된 자극 패턴은 동원곡선(recruitment curve)을 통하여 자극 파라미터로 변환된다. 자극 파라미터는 직렬통신을 이용하여 전기자극기에 전달된다. 전기자극기는 주제어부에 1개, 각 채널에 1개씩 총 9개의 마이크로프로세서로 구성되어 있다. 주제어부의 마이크로프로세서가 컴퓨터 프로그램과 통신을 하고 각 채널의 마이크로프로세서를 제어한다. 본 연구에서 개발한 기능적 전기자극 시스템으로 하반신 마비환자에게 100주 동안 전기자극 엑서사이즈를 실시한 결과 근력, 다리둘레, 그리고 피로저항성의 증가를 볼 수 있었다. 전기자극 엑서사이즈로 무릎신근(knee extensor muscle)이 체중을 지지한 수 있을 정도로 증가한 후에 FES 보행을 시작하였고, 현재 2분 동안 50m 이상 보행할 수 있다.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.111-116
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• 2005

This study was designed to apply the stimulation system developed in our laboratory to investigate how the stimulation conditions affect the muscle contractile characteristics in the isometric condition as well as during the FES standing/walking. Four paraplegic and ten healthy subjects participated in this study, and their knee extensors were voluntary contracted or electrically stimulated to measure the muscle force and the fatigue index for different waveforms of the pulse train. We also investigated different combinations of the electrode positions during standing/walking. It was confirmed that continuous and high-frequency stimulation causes faster fatigue than intermittent and low-frequency stimulation. Fatigue resistance was higher around the optimal muscle length than at a stretched position in healthy subjects, whereas the opposite was observed in paralyzed subjects. The paired t-test results with the level of significance at 0.01 indicated that the sinusoidal waveform generated the largest torque among the four typical waveforms. Although statistically not very significant, the sinusoidal waveform also generated, in general, the highest fatigue resistance at an intensity level below the supramaximal stimulation. One of the paraplegic subject who participated in the standing/walking program can now stand up for 1 minute and 50 seconds with the knee extensors, and walk for about 5 minutes at the speed of 12m/sec.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.167-174
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• 1994

In this paper, a DSP and microcomputer-based EMG controlled functional electrical stimulation (FES) system, for restoring walking of paraplegics at the patients' own command, is presented. The above-lesion EMG is a time-varying nonstationary signal and its autoregressive (AR) parameters are identified by the nonstationary identification algorithm using a DSP chip. The identified AR parameters are used for the cloassification of the function and the control of the movement. The below-lesion response-EMG signal is used as a measure of muscle fatigue. This FES system is designed to measure muscle fatigue and control the stimulation intensity according to the amplitude of the response-EMG signal. While the automatic electrical intensity control is obtained by identifying the movement, the proposed FES system is suitable for the automatic control of paraplegic walking.

• 한국정밀공학회지
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• 제25권8호
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• pp.104-110
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• 2008

The aim of this study ultimately is verifying that PGO gait is more efficient than RGO fur paraplegics because the air muscle assists hip flexion power in heel off movement. The gait characteristics of the paraplegic wearing the PGO or RGO are compared with that of a normal person. PGO with air muscles was used to analyze the walking of patients with lower-limb paralysis, and the results showed that the hip joint flexion and pelvic tilt angle decreased in PGO. In comparison to RGO gait, which is propelled by the movements of the back, PGO uses air muscles, which decreases the movement in the upper limb from a stance phase rate of 79$\pm$4%(RGO) to 68$\pm$8%. The energy consumption rate was 8.65$\pm$3.3 (ml/min/Kg) for RGO, while it decreased to 7.21t2.5(ml/min/Kg) for PGO. The results from this study show that PGO decreases energy consumption while providing support for patients with lower-limb paralysis, and it is helpful in walking for extended times.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.69-80
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• 1998

본 연구에서는 엑서사이즈 프로그램이 FES를 이용한 하반신 마비환자의 일어서기 및 보행에 미치는 영향을 고찰하였으며, 또한 주요 다리근육들의 전기자극에 대한 수축특성과 피로특성에 주안점을 두었다. 정상인 10명과 완전 하반신 마비환자 4명의 대퇴사두근에 연속적 혹은 간헐적으로 전기자극을 가하였고, 자극주파수는 20Hz와 80Hz로 하였다. 또 근육의 길이에 따른 피로현상을 살펴보기 위하여 무릎의 각도를 90$^{\circ}$와 150$^{\circ}$로 각각 고정한 뒤 무릎신근 토크를 측정하였다. 그 결과를 바탕으로 남자 하반신 마비환자의 대퇴사두근과 장딴지근에 지난 2년간 FES엑서사이즈를 시행하였다. 무릎신근의 근력이 체중을 지지하기에 충분하다고 판단되었을 때 FES 일어서기를 시작하였으며, 자세교환 연습을 거친 뒤 평행봉 혹은 워커를 잡고 정전압 자극기와 표면전극을 사용한 4 또는 6채널 자극으로 보행하도록 하였다. 마비된 근육은 정상인과는 반대로 최적길이 부근에서 상대적으로 급격한 피로를 나타내었고, 저주와 자극과 간헐 자극이 피로를 지연시키는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 본 실험에 참가한 환자는 FES 엑서사이즈 프로그램을 실시한 결과, 근력이 초기의 10배 정도로 증가하였고, 피로지수는 초기의 절반 정도로 감소하였으며, 엑서사이즈 횟수를 매주 6일에서 7일로 바꾼 후 근력이 눈에 띄게 향상되었다. 환자 자신의 잔존능력도 향상되어 양쪽 무릎을 10cm정도 들어올릴 수 있게 됨으로써 보행시 스윙 단계에서 이 능력을 최대한 활용할 수 있었다. 현재 환자는 워커를 잡고 스스로 자극기의 스위치를 조작하면서 4채널 자극에 의하여 10m/min의 속도로 최대 약 2분 40초의 보행이 가능하다.

• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정밀공학회 2004년도 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.814-817
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• 2004

It is a challenging task to make the paraplegic to walk with out the assist of the caregiver. So, we have developed various type of gait orthosis for paraplegic during the five years lately. The purpose of this study ultimately is energy consumption test of serveral type gait orthosis for developing the high efficiency gait orthosis. From the experimental results, the oxygen consumption rate were 6.9$\pm$3.3ml/kg in RGO gait, 5.3$\pm$1.3ml/kg in PGO, and 6.2$\pm$3ml/kg in HGO gait. The maximum hip flexion angle were 16$^{\circ}$ in RGO , 15$^{\circ}$ in PGO, and 47.5$^{\circ}$. in HGO. As a result It was found that. Hybrid Gait Orthosis need high energy consumption more than PGO for walking, but it is small weight and strengthened muscle.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.63-70
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• 2019

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of bilateral ankle dorsiflexors-strengthening exercise on the paralytic tibialis anterior activity, balance ability, and gait function of patients with chronic stroke. METHODS: Nineteen patients with chronic stroke were assigned randomly to the experimental and control groups. All participants received general physical therapy for 60-minutes per session, five times a week, for 6 weeks. In addition, the experimental group (n = 9) performed bilateral ankle dorsiflexion muscle-strengthening training three times a week, 30 minutes per session, for six weeks. The control group (n=10) performed the paraplegic ankle dorsiflexion muscle- strengthening training in the same manner. Before and after the intervention, the paralytic tibialis anterior muscle activity, timed up and go test (TUG), and 10m walking test (10 MWT) were performed. RESULTS: Both groups showed significant improvement in the post-intervention muscle activity of the paralytic tibialis anterior, TUG, and 10MWT compared to that before the intervention (p<.05), but the differences between the two groups were not significant (p >.05). CONCLUSION: Bilateral ankle dorsiflexors strengthening exercise is an effective cross-training method to improve the muscle activity of the paraplegic tibialis anterior, balance ability, and walking function in chronic stroke patients.