• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.357-364
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• 2010

This study proposes a lower-limb exoskeleton system that is controlled by a wearer's muscle activity. This system is designed by following procedure. First, analyze the muscle activation patterns of human leg while walking. Second, select the adequate actuator to support the human walking based on calculation of required force of knee joint for step walking. Third, unit type knee and ankle orthotics are integrated with selected actuator. Finally, using this knee-assistive system (KAS) and developed muscle stiffness sensors (MSS), the muscle activity pattern of the subject is analyzed while he is walking on the stair. This study proposes an operating algorithm of KAS based on command signal of MSS which is generated by motion intent of human. A healthy and normal subject walked while wearing the developed powered-knee exoskeleton on his/her knees, and measured effectively assisted plantar flexor strength of the subject's knees and those neighboring muscles. Finally, capabilities and feasibility of the KAS are evaluated by testing the adapted motor pattern and the EMG signal variance while walking with exoskeleton. These results shows that developed exoskeleton which controlled by muscle activity could help human's walking acceptably.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.223-228
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• 2011

In this paper, we proposed a technique to recognize three states in stance phase of gait cycle. Walking assistive devices are used to help the elderly people walk or to monitor walking behavior of the disabled persons. For the effective assistance, they adopt an intelligent sensor system to understand user's current state in walking. There are three states in stance phase; Loading Response, Midstance, and Terminal Stance. We developed a foot pressure sensor using 24 FSRs (Force Sensing/Sensitive Resistors). The foot pressure patterns were integrated through the interpolation of FSR cell array. The pressure patterns were processed to get the trajectories of COM (Center of Mass). Using the trajectories of COM of foot pressure, we can recognize the three states of stance phase. The experimental results show the effective recognition of stance phase and the possibility of usage on the walking assistive device for better control and/or foot pressure monitoring.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.421-427
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the quantitative analysis of biomechanical movement and the qualitative analysis of video software in order to evaluate for the walking movement. The fourteen collegiate students who agreed with the purpose and method of this study participated as subjects. The slow walking and fast walking of the subjects in the place of experiment were photographed, and calculated several mechanical factors. This empirical evidence from the experiment indicated the significant difference(p<.001) between each distant factors of the walking movement for both analyses methods, but there was no statistically significant difference between the spacial factors observed in the experiment. For more detail, no significant difference between the walking ratios that expressed the coordination between stride length and stride frequency was found. The findings also indicated the high coefficient of correlation(over r=.9) which supports higher explanation force for the biomechanical method and the Dartfish video software method. Therefore, if the data was gathered by using the proper experimental method, the video software method could be used just like the quantitative data of biomechanical method.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.279-284
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• 2022

Objective: This study was conducted to confirm the effect of physiotherapy on the balance and walking in dog with sciatic nerve injury and degenerative arthritis of stifle joints. Design: Single case study Methods: The dog walked abnormally for six months and was administrated in S animal hospital. The dog's right hindlimb was operated for cranial cruciate ligament repair and the dog had been taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic before being refered. There was severe degenerated osteoarthritis in the right hindlimb. During stance and walking, the right hindlimb was often shown partial weight bearing. The dog's left hindlimb was shown plantigrade stance and walking. The radiograph was shown an intact calcaneal tendon in the left hindlimb. In the neurologic examination, sciatic nerve injury in the left hindlimb was confirmed. The dog was treated using muscle strengthening, proprioceptive exercise, underwater treadmill and Laser therapy two, or three times a week for 3 months. At the 10th and 17th treatment, it was evaluated through stance and gait analyzer system to measure dog's balance and walking. Results: 3 months following physiotherapy, the dog's balance was improved in center of pressure(COP). And peak vertical force(PVF), vertical impulse(VI) was increased in right hindlimb and double stance was decreased. Conclusions: Physiotherapy may have improved the prognosis in this dog with severe osteoarthritis and sciatic nerve injury. This study suggested that animal physiotherapy is a valuable way to improve balance and walking.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 2017

In this paper, we propose a gait pattern recognition method for intelligent prosthesis that enables walking in various environments of femoral amputees. The proposed gait mode changing method is a single sensor based algorithm which can discriminate gait surface and gait phase using only strain gauges sensor, and it is designed to simplify the algorithm based on multiple sensors of existing intelligent prosthesis and to reduce cost of prosthesis system. For the recognition algorithm, we analyzed characteristics of the ground reaction force generated during gait of normal person and defined gait step segmentation and gait detection condition, A gait analyzer was constructed for the gait experiment in the environment similar to the femoral amputee. The validity of the paper was verified through the defined detection conditions and fabricated instruments. The accuracy of the algorithm based on the single sensor was 95%. Based on the proposed single sensor-based algorithm, it is considered that the intelligent prosthesis system can be made inexpensive, and the user can directly grasp the state of the walking surface and shift the walking mode. It is confirmed that it is possible to change the automatic walking mode to switch the walking mode that is suitable for the walking mode.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.692-699
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• 2008

This paper describes optimal operation method using recognition of walker's will for a robotic walker. Recently, walking aid system has been required according to the increase of elder and handicapped person. However, most of walking aid system don't have actuator for its movement. Unfortunately, standard frames have weakness for the movement to upward/download direction of slope. So, active type walking aids are interested, but it is not easy to control. In this paper, we adapt user's will system that can recognize walking direction and speed. First, FSR(Force Sensing Register) is applied to measure user's will to walk. And then, fuzzy algorithm is used for determining optimal wheel velocity and direction of the walking aid. From the result, walking aid can move smoothly and safely following the user's will. The walking aid can help user to walk more optimally. Here, all the processes are verified experimentally in the real world.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.101-108
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to compare GRF characteristics during walking wearing jogging and roller shoes. Twelve male middle school students (age: $15.0{\pm}0.0\;yrs$, height: $173.6{\pm}5.0\;cm$, weight: $587.6{\pm}89.3\;N$) who have no known musculoskeletal disorders were recruited as the subjects. Kinematic data from six S-VHS camcorders(Panasonic AG456, 60 fields/s) and GRF data from two force platform; (AMII OR6-5) were collected while subjects walked wearing roller and jogging shoes in random order at a speed of 1.1 m/s. An event sync unit with a bright LED light was used to synchronize the video and GRF recordings. GRF data were filtered using a 20 Hz low pass Butterworth. digital filter and further normalized to the subject's body weight. For each trial being analyzed, five critical instants and four phases were identified from the recording. Temporal parameters, GRFs, displacement of center of pressure (DCP), and loading and decay rates were determined for each trial. For each dependent variable, paired t-test was performed to test if significant difference existed between shoe conditions (p <.05). Vertical GRFs at heel contact increased and braking forces at the end of initial double limb stance reduced significantly when going from jogging shoe to roller shoe condition. Robbins and Waked (1997) reported that balance and vertical GRF are closely related It seems that the ankle and knee joints are locked in an awkward fashion at the heel contact to compensate for the imbalance. The DCP in the antero-posterior direction for the roller shoe condition was significantly less than the corresponding value for the jogging shoe condition. Because the subjects tried to keep their upper body weight in front of the hip to prevent falling backward, the DCP for the roller shoe condition was restricted The results indicate that walking with roller shoes had little effect on temporal parameters, and loading and decay rates. It seems that there are differences in GRF characteristics between roller shoe and jogging shoe conditions. The differences in GRF pattern may be caused primarily by the altered position of ankle, knee, and center of mass throughout the walking cycle. Future studies should examine muscle activation patterns and joint kinematics during walking with roller shoes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.179-196
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• 2013

An experimentally measured single footfall trace (SFT) from a walking subject needs to be extended into a continuous force curve, which can then be used as load for floor vibration serviceability assessment, or on which further analysis like discrete Fourier transform can be conducted. This paper investigates the accuracy, applicability and parametrical sensitivity of four extension methods, Methods I to IV, which extends the SFT into a continuous time history by the walking step rate, stride time, double support proportion and the double support time, respectively. Performance of the four methods was assessed by comparing their results with the experimentally obtained reference footfall traces in the time and frequency domain, and by comparing the vibrational response of a concrete slab subjected to the extended traces to that of reference traces. The effect of the extension parameter on each method was also explored through parametrical analysis. This study finds that, in general, Method I and II perform better than Method III and IV, and all of the four methods are sensitive to their extension parameter. When reliable information of walking rate or gait period is available in the test, Methods I or II is a better choice. Otherwise, Method III, with the suggested extension parameter of double support time proportion, is recommended.

• International Journal of Ocean System Engineering
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.222-229
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• 2011

In this paper, we present the concept and main mission of the Crabster, an underwater walking robot. The main focus is on the modeling of drag and lift forces on the legs of the robot, which comprise the main difference in dynamic characteristics between on-land and underwater robots. Drag and lift forces acting on the underwater link are described as a function of the relative velocity of the link with respect to the fluid using the strip theory. Using the translational velocity of the link as the rotational velocity of the joint, we describe the drag force as a function of joint variables. Generalized drag torque is successfully derived from the drag force as a function of generalized variables and its first derivative, even though the arm has a roll joint and twist angles between the joints. To verify the proposed model, we conducted drag torque simulations using a simple Selective Compliant Articulated Robot Arm.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.131-143
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to compare the ground reaction forces and plantar pressure variables among three different safety shoes (Type 1: ergonomically designed and high quality shoes, 2: curved and cushioned safety hoes, and 3: regular safety shoes) and to find the effect of insole during walking. Ten healthy subjects were recruited for this study. The ground reaction force was measured using a 3 dimensional motion analysis system. Plantar pressures were measured Pedar Mobile foot pressure scan system. The ground reaction force variables were not significantly different among three different shoe types and insole conditions. After insertion insole, plantar pressure distributions were improved. These results suggest that the type 1 safety shoes was superior than other safety shoes in the statistics, and applying insole could be a possible method to prevent fatigue of lower extremity and musculoskeletal disorders. Further studies are needed to find the effect of ergonomically designed safety shoes design and insole on practical value prevention of musculoskeletal disorder, fatigue and satisfaction of workers.