• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.71-76
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• 2010

Purpose: The present study was designed to investigate the effect of a Rollator on plantar pressure and foot balance during gait in older adults. Methods: Twenty consecutive subjects (8 men, 12 women; age: $69.9{\pm}8.9$) had the following measurements done: plantar pressure in 10 areas of the foot, foot balance including heel rotation, foot balance, forefoot balance, medial forefoot balance, and meta loading during gait with or without a Rollator. Results: Significant differences in plantar pressure were observed in the areas of toes 2-5 or etatarsal areas 1, 4, 5 during gait with and without a Rollator. There were no significant differences in other areas of the foot. Regarding foot balance during gait with or without a Rollator, there were statistically significant differences in heel rotation, forefoot balance, medial forefoot balance, and meta loading. Conclusion: For older adults, the use of a Rollator can decrease plantar pressure and increase foot balance in various foot areas.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제33권6호
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• pp.487-497
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• 2014

Objective: This study aims to develop and evaluate a multi-purpose rollator, which may be used as a seat, as a traditional walker, or as a storage basket for elderly farmers. Background: The rollators on the market are not user-friendly designed and seen inconvenient for elderly farmers to use, although they are sold at considerably high price. Since they lack enough space to load stuffs and are not durable or stable enough, they do not seem to be suitable for elderly farmers to use in rural areas. Method: Two types of methods were used in this study. First, the survey consisted of 19 questions was conducted among elderly farmers in rural areas, after using the developed rollator, to evaluate the usability of the rollator developed in this study. Second, EMG experiment was conducted to compare the existing rollator and developed rollator quantitatively. Through this experiment, we tried to verify the differences of muscle responses, when using the traditional and the developed ones, which have their own brake system, in the ramp. Results: The developed rollator was highly evaluated in most of the questions in the usability survey, except for the 'Weight' category in which the opinions were divided into three different types (Worse: 31%, Similar: 30%, Better: 36%). The result of EMG experiment showed that the existing rollator (7.4%MVC) demands more muscle strength than the developed rollator (5.5%MVC) does. By statistically analyzing the results of upper limb and lower limb respectively, we found out that all the muscles except deltoid in upper limb showed statistically significant differences in muscle activity when using the existing and the developed rollator. However, there was no statistical difference in lower limb muscles. Conclusion: The developed rollator in this study has maximized the functionality of the brake system, the storage and the chair, which were pointed out as the weaknesses of existing rollators. Furthermore, the developed rollator is designed to be more user-friendly, safe, durable, and effective for elderly farmers to use in rural areas, where roads are rough and bumpy. Application: We expect that the emergency brake system developed in this study would be utilized for other convenience equipment, such as strollers and carts, and that it would be able to develop and produce more secure and reliable equipment in the future.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.327-336
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• 2012

Objective: The purpose of this study is to find the problems of stability when people use the bassinet as an ambulatory aid for old people. Background: Many aged people use a bassinet as ambulatory aid. But the safety of using the bassinet as ambulatory aid has not been verified yet. Method: The 13 university-students who don't have musculoskeletal disorders volunteered to participate in this study. According to structural analysis of the both tools, we compared the structural stability of an outdoor rollator with the structural stability of a bassinet. And when the participants walked using both tools, the motions were captured and analysed. We measured the angle of shoulder joint and the angle of trunk from the ground when the participants were walking. And we found the distance from participants' pressure cone apex and greater trochanter. Results: Following the structural analysis, the bassinet has the lower structural stability than the outdoor rollator. When the people used the bassinet as ambulatory aid, the angle of the shoulder joint was bigger than to use the outdoor rollator. The angle of trunk wasn't different between the outdoor rollator and the bassinet. And distance from pressure cone apex to greater trochanter was far to use the bassinet than to use the outdoor rollator. Conclusion: Through the structure analysis and gait analysis of the bassinet and the outdoor rollator, we can be aware of that the bassinet has problem of stability. Therefore the people who use the bassinet as an ambulatory aid, especially supporting body weight, may be hurt due to the problems of stability. Application: This research can be used for developing a study of the ambulatory aid and preventing the accident when the aged people use the ambulatory aid.

• 문화기술의 융합
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.385-390
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• 2021

본 연구는 보행보조차의 사용성평가 및 노인의 사회활동에 대한 조사를 통해 제품 R&D에 기초자료를 제공하며 제품이 고령자의 삶에 미치는 영향을 알아보아 고차원적 참고자료 제시를 목적으로 연구를 진행하였다. 본 연구는 성남시 거주 보행보조기 사용 노인 60명을 대상으로 설문조사를 진행하였다. 조사결과 제품의 접이기능, 무게, 등받이의 형태, 의자의 재질 등에서 불만족이 나타났다. 사회활동 조사 결과 제품의 편의성이 노인의 외출 증가에 가장 큰 영향을 주는 것으로 드러났으며 승강기 및 대중교통과 같은 시설 이용의 불편이 외출 감소에 상당한 영향을 주는 것으로 드러났다. 따라서 노인의 일상생활 및 외출에 보행보조차의 기능개선도 중요한 요인 중 하나지만 도시적 차원의 인프라 개선 및 구축도 중요한 요인으로 파악된다.

• 재활복지공학회논문지
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.259-265
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• 2014

본 논문은 보행의지를 파악하기 위해 IR 센서 기반 보행보조기를 이용하여 보행 시 슬관절 전방변위 측정과 하지의 근육활성도를 고찰하였다. 슬관절 전방변위 측정을 위해 보행보조기에 IR센서를 장착하였고, 근전도 (Bagnoli-8ch, Delsys Inc, USA)장비를 이용하여 대퇴직근, 대퇴이두근, 전경골근, 비복근을 측정 하였다. 실험에 참가한 피험자들은 성인 8명(나이 $23.7{\pm}0.5years$, 신장 $175.4{\pm}2.3cm$, 체중 $70.6{\pm}5.6kg$)이며 매주 30분씩 총 3주간 진행되었다. 보행 시 경사조건과 보행 속도의 증가에 따라서 슬관절 전방변위가 변화되는 결과를 확인할 수 있었다. 또한 근육활성도 결과, 전방경사 시 대퇴부 근육의 활성도가 증가하였고 후방경사 시 하퇴부 근육이 많이 활성화 되어 IR센서 결과와 유사한 경향을 확인할 수 있었다.

• 재활복지공학회논문지
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.299-303
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• 2014

최근 노년인구의 증가로 이동 보조기기의 수요가 증대되고 있다. 이동 보조 기기 중 하나인 보행보조기의 수요도 늘고 있다. 보행보조기란 고령자나 환자들 같은 지역 이동이 불편한 사람들의 체중을 분담 받아 보행을 도와주는 기기이다. 본 논문에서는 현재 수동 보행보조기에 전동 기능을 탑재하여 사용자들의 보행을 도와주는 전동 보행보조기를 제작하였다. 또한 장거리 이동시 차에 실어 이동 시킬 수 있도록 경량의 접이식 구조를 적용하여 설계 및 제작 하였다.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.325-335
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• 2024

Existing research on walking aids has primarily focused on functional improvements, often neglecting negative aspects such as physical injuries and psychological discomfort, which limits the elderly's active participation in outdoor activities. This study aims to analyze issues related to outdoor walking stemming from physical and psychological factors in the elderly and to propose design directions for walking aids that align with their preferences. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 elderly individuals aged 65 and above who use rollators, from May 2024 to June 2024. The interviews were analyzed using a questionnaire based on psychological factors identified in previous studies and functional aspects, utilizing Universal Design principles. The five-stage design thinking model from d.school was employed for problem definition. Issues related to walking aids were identified and analyzed during the 'Empathize' and 'Define' stages. The findings highlight priorities such as maintaining proper posture, reducing vibration, improving ease of folding and speed control, and providing additional storage space without causing discomfort. The proposed design directions reflect the needs and aspirations derived from the actual experiences of elderly individuals. The study's findings are expected to contribute to the development of walking aids that enhance usability and confidence, thereby improving the quality of life for elderly individuals.

• 한국융합학회논문지
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.161-168
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• 2020

본 연구는 고령자들의 안전한 독립보행을 보조하기 위한 보행기를 개발하기 위한 연구로, 기존 고령자용 보행기에 대한 제품 분석을 통한 문제점 파악과 사용자 관찰 실험을 통하여 사용상 문제점과 니즈를 파악하였다. 제품 분석결과 대부분의 고령자용 보행기는 기능이 우선시 되는 경향을 볼 수 있었다. 또한 사용자 관찰 결과 대부분의 사용자가 기능에 대해서는 긍정적인 인식을 가지고 있으나, 조작방법이나 안정감 등 구조적인 부분은 부정적인 결과를 가지고 있는 것을 파악할 수 있었다. 이후 도출된 문제점과 니즈를 통해 총 다섯 가지의 디자인 지침을 도출하였다. 디자인 지침은 기능적인 부분이 아닌 구조적인 문제점의 개선을 중점적인 목표로 설정하였고, 기능 우선이 아닌 안전이 우선시되도록 방향을 설정하여 진행하였다. 본 연구에서 도출한 다섯 가지 디자인 지침은 차후 고령자용 보행기를 제작 및 디자인하는데 있어, 고령자의 관점과 니즈를 반영한 보행기 제작의 기초적인 자료로써 활용될 수 있을 것이다.