• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2011

This paper presents the vibration reduction algorithm at the walking-will recognition sensors on the uneven terrain. Recently, concern about walking assistant aids is increasing according to the increase in population of elder and handicapped person. However, most of walking aids don't have any actuators for its movement. So, general walking aids have weakness for its movement to upward/download direction of slope. To overcome the weakness of the general walking aids, many researches for active type walking aids are being progressed. Especially, vibration analysis and impulse reduction are one of the important elements of the active-type walking aid during moving on the outdoor area because the ground has many kinds of obstacles such as speed dumps, puddles and so on. So, we analyze the influence from vibration by uneven terrain. And then, we propose the impulse reduction algorithm to overcome the vibration. All the processes are verified experimentally in an active-type walking aid.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.213-222
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• 1992

To develop the wireless remote opreating system of walking rice transplanter, this study was carried out for manufacturing the wireless remote control system acting upon the transplanter. The first report of this study contained about the construction and operating method of a developed remote control system for 2-row walking type transplanter. It is the second report about the field test for an experimental transplanter being attached a wireless control system and for a conventional transplanter. The test was executed to investigate the characteristics of velocity, rectilinearity, turning time, interval of roots and of rows, and field capacity in accordance with various engine speeds for an experimental transplanter. The measurements of this test were compared with those of the conventional transplanter. The obtained results were as follows : 1. The operating velocity of the experimental transplanter was faster than the conventional one when the high speed range of the engine but the variances were very large. 2. The rectilinearity, interval of raws and of roots, and the turning time of the experimental transplanter was inferior to the conventional one at some speed ranges of the engine. 3. Field capacity of the experimental transplanter was superior to the conventional one at high speed of the engine. 4. There were some disadvantages for the experimental transplanter to operate, because it was constructed without any aid devices, such as float and hydraulic system for instance. But if the remote control system of this study equip at the modern walking transplanter, it will be improved and utilized without defects which was revealed from this test.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2017

In this paper, we introduce a warning message providing methodology by considering the elderly's walking behavior in V2P(: Vehicle-to-Pedestrian) communication systems. Using the elderly's accident records in Kyounggi-do area from 2011 to 2014, the elderly's accident behaviors are analyzed by categorizing accidents as road type (single road/ crossing road), existence of traffic signal (with signal/ without signal), existence of crosswalk (crosswalk/ jaywalk), cause of accident (jaywalk/ signal violation/ carelessness accident/ Etc.). In addition, the elderly's behavior variable and vehicle speed are applied, then some threshold values are utilized in a warning message providing in conflict area. Finally, we propose a distance which can protect an accident depending on the elderly's walking speed, safety margin and vehicle speed. By applying the results of this research to the V2P/P2V communication based road safety message providing system with the elderly's walking behavior, it may be helpful to reduce accident rate of the elderly.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.723-729
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• 2012

Spring-like leg models have been employed to explain various dynamic characteristics in human walking. However, this leg stiffness model has limitations to represent complex motion of actual human gait, especially the behaviors of each lower limb joint. The purpose of this research was to determine changes of total leg stiffness and lower limb joint stiffness with gait speed in knee osteoarthritis. Joint stiffness defined as the ratio of the joint torque change to the angular displacement change. Eight subjects with knee osteoarthritis participated to this study. The subject walked on a 12 m long and 1 m wide walkway with three sets of four different randomly ordered gait speeds, ranging from their self-selected speed to maximum speed. Kinetic and kinematic data were measured using three force plates and an optical marker system, respectively. Joint torques of lower limb joints calculated by a multi-segment inverse dynamics model. Total leg and each lower limb joint had constant stiffness during single support phase. The leg and hip joint stiffness increased with gait speed. The correlation between knee joint angles and torques had significant changed by the degree of severity of knee osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.20-27
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• 2022

Background: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether balance training combined with light touch improves the postural sway and gait speed in stroke patients. Design: Randomized Controlled Trial Study Methods: The current study included 40 stroke patients, who were randomly divided into two groups: the balance training with light touch (LT) group (n=20) and the balance training with heavy touch (HT) group (n=20). Both groups performed balance training on a stable and unstable ground. Additionally, the LT group provided light touch stimulation, and the HT group provided heavy touch stimulation. All the participants underwent 20 sessions of STS training (thirty minutes, five days per week for four weeks). In this study, postural sway was measured using a force platform, and walking speed was measured using a 10 meter walk test. Results: The improvements in postural sway and gait speed were observed to be significantly greater in the LT group, compared to the HT group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the current study imply that balance training combined with light touch is a beneficial and effective therapeutic modality that can be employed to improve the postural sway and gait speed in stroke patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.94-102
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to confirm the effects of a moderate and fast walking exercise program on middle-aged women's fatigue, serum lipids and immunoglobulins. Method: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used for this study. The experiment was conducted for 10 weeks from May 17th to July 25th, 2004 with 44 middle-aged women, consisting of 16 for the moderate walking group, 15 for the fast walking group and 13 for the control group. Result: Walking exercise at both a moderate and fast speed was effective in middle-aged women in reducing fatigue and serum lipids. It was also revealed that extended periods of exercise was more effective in decreasing fatigue while for reducing serum lipid, high intensity exercise was more effective. In this study, serum immunoglobulins were reduced after moderate and fast walking exercise but its cause was not fully understood so further research is needed. Conclusion: This study helps us recognize the importance of regular exercise and promotes motivation to exercise for a healthy life among middle-aged women.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2006

A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate if two different age groups(young vs. old) had differences in walking velocity and heel contact velocity and, furthermore, if these gait characteristics could adversely influence initial friction demand characteristics(i.e. RCOF) and the likelihood of slip-initiation. Twenty eight(14 younger and 14 older adults) participated in the study. While wearing a safety harness, all participants walked at their preferred gait speed for approximately 20 minutes on the linear walking track(1.5m× 20m) consisting of two floor-mounted forced plates. During subsequent 20 cameras, respectively. The results indicated that older adults walked slower(i.e., slower whole body center-of-mass velocity), exhibited lower heel contact velocity, and produced lower initial friction demand characteristics (i.e. RCOF) in comparison to younger adults. However, ANCOVA indicated that the diferences in heel contact velocity between the two age groups were due to the effects of walking velocity. The bivariate analysis further suggested that walking velocity was correlated to RCOF and heel contact velocity, while heel contact velocity was not found to be correlated to RCOF. In conclusion, could be a better indicator for predicting initial friction demand characteristics(i.e. RCOF) not hel contact velocity.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to verify the effectiveness of repetitive sit to stand training to improve knee extensor strength and walking ability of total knee replacement patients. Methods: In this study, 12 patients with total knee replacement patients were recruited from a rehabilitation hospital. They were divided into two groups: a repetitive sit to stand group (n=6) and a control group (n=6). They all received 30 minutes of continuous passive motion (CPM). After that, the repetitive sit to stand group performed repetitive sit to stand training, and the control group performed resistance exercise for 15 minutes five times a week for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks of training, knee extensor strength and spatiotemporal gait parameters were measured. Knee extensor strength was measured by Biodex system 3, walking ability was measured by Biodex gait trainer 2. Paired t test was performed to verify the difference between before and after intervention within the group, and analysis of covariance was used to verify the differences between the two groups. Results: After the training periods, the repetitive sit to stand group showed a significant improvement in knee extensor muscle strength, walking speed, step length of the operated side, and step length of the non-operated side (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that repetitive sit to stand training was more effective in improving knee extensor muscle strength and walking ability. Therefore, to strengthen knee extensor muscles and improve the walking ability of total knee replacement patients, it is necessary to consider repetitive sit to stand training.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2021

Background: The requirements for postural and motor control in backward walking training (BWT) may improve balance and walking speed in patients with acute stroke. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of BWT on balance, balance confidence, and fall efficacy in this population. Design: Randomized controlled pilot trial. Methods: This study included 14 subjects with acute stroke (onset of illness less than one month). They were randomly allocated to a BWT (n=7) or forward walking training (n=7) group and observed five times in a week for a period of two weeks. Measurements were taken before and after the experiment using the Berg balance scale (BBS), Activities-specific balance confidence scale (ABC), and Fall efficacy scale (FES). Results: The BBS, ABC and FES scores obtained in both groups after the experiment were significantly higher than those before the experiment (p<0.05). In addition, the BBS, ABC, and FES scores in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that BWT improved balance and balance confidence and decreased the risks of fall in patients with acute stroke. Further study is needed to better understand the effects of backward walking in acute stroke patients.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.53-61
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• 2018

Background: Stroke patients show abnormal walking patterns due to brain injury. In order to have the desired walking pattern, appropriate stimulation is required to activate the central pattern generator. For this reason, our study performed treadmill ambulatory training with rhythmic auditory stimulation. However we did not consider the influence of visual feedback. Objects: The purpose of this study was to compare the gait abilities in chronic stroke patients following either treadmill walking training with rhythmic auditory stimulation and visual feedback (TRASVF) or treadmill walking training with rhythmic auditory stimulation (TRAS) alone. Methods: Twenty-one stroke patients were divided into two groups: A TRASVF group (10 subjects) and a TRAS group (11 subjects). They received 30 minutes of neuro-developmental therapy (NDT) and walking training for 30 minutes, five times a week for three weeks. Temporal and spatial gait parameters were measured before and after the training period. The Biodex gait trainer treadmill system measured gait parameters. Results: After the training periods, the TRASVF group showed a significant improvement in walking speed, the step length of the affected limb, and time on each foot of the affected limb when compared to the TRAS group (p<.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the treadmill walking training with rhythmic auditory stimulation and visual feedback improved individual gait ability more than the treadmill walking training with rhythmic auditory stimulation alone. Therefore, visual feedback should be considered along with rhythmic auditory stimulation training.