DESIGN AND PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF A LOW-COST ACTIVE WALKER PROTOTYPE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH LOWER-LIMB MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS

This paper outlines the development and preliminary evaluation of a low-cost active walker, named Orthowalker, designed to assist individuals with mobility impairments in standing and supporting their gait. The powered walker was created as a motorized device with the MTK-RGO orthosis. The assistive device is intention-based, using the interactive force between the person and the walker grip to generate forward motion. Straps were attached to each ankle, allowing the forward motion of the Orthowalker to alter the position of the swing leg in each gait cycle, thereby providing the potential to reduce the manual effort required for swing-leg advancement during walking. Two touch sensors were placed in front of the walker to facilitate orientation changes. The device was tested on a healthy woman and two people with movement disabilities while walking and standing. The motion of the participants was captured using Qualisys software, and the center of mass (CoM) was obtained while using the Orthowalker. The experimental results showed feasible standing and walking support and demonstrated that the Orthowalker could effectively change the position of the swing leg while walking, with the potential to reduce walking effort. These preliminary results indicate that the powered walker has the potential to assist people with lower-limb impairments.