TY - GEN
T1 - A comprehensive analysis of sensorimotor mechanisms of inter-leg coordination in gait using the variable stiffness treadmill
T2 - 16th IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, ICORR 2019
AU - Skidmore, Jeffrey
AU - Artemiadis, Panagiotis
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 IEEE.
PY - 2019/6
Y1 - 2019/6
N2 - Rehabilitation robotics is an emerging field in which gait training has been largely automated allowing more intensive, repetitive motions which are important for facilitating recovery. However, there is no clear evidence that robot-assisted gait training is superior to conventional therapy. A limitation of current approaches to gait therapy is that they do not consider mechanisms of inter-leg coordination and how the sensory feedback from one leg affects the motion of the other leg. Instead they impose motion on the impaired limb. Recent research suggests that utilizing the coupling between limbs in stroke rehabilitation therapies could lead to improved functional outcome. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of underlying sensorimotor mechanisms of inter-leg coordination may facilitate improved interventions in gait therapy. This paper systematically explores and analyzes a sensorimotor mechanism of inter-leg coordination that is stimulated through sudden unilateral low-stiffness perturbations to the walking surface. The potential contribution of each sensory modality to the perception and response of the perturbation will be investigated. Additionally, the neural pathway that relays the sensory signal into the motor output will be described in order to fully characterize this sensorimotor mechanism of inter-leg coordination. This work provides physiological understanding of inter-leg coordination that will benefit robot-assisted gait therapies.
AB - Rehabilitation robotics is an emerging field in which gait training has been largely automated allowing more intensive, repetitive motions which are important for facilitating recovery. However, there is no clear evidence that robot-assisted gait training is superior to conventional therapy. A limitation of current approaches to gait therapy is that they do not consider mechanisms of inter-leg coordination and how the sensory feedback from one leg affects the motion of the other leg. Instead they impose motion on the impaired limb. Recent research suggests that utilizing the coupling between limbs in stroke rehabilitation therapies could lead to improved functional outcome. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of underlying sensorimotor mechanisms of inter-leg coordination may facilitate improved interventions in gait therapy. This paper systematically explores and analyzes a sensorimotor mechanism of inter-leg coordination that is stimulated through sudden unilateral low-stiffness perturbations to the walking surface. The potential contribution of each sensory modality to the perception and response of the perturbation will be investigated. Additionally, the neural pathway that relays the sensory signal into the motor output will be described in order to fully characterize this sensorimotor mechanism of inter-leg coordination. This work provides physiological understanding of inter-leg coordination that will benefit robot-assisted gait therapies.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071182767&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85071182767&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/ICORR.2019.8779466
DO - 10.1109/ICORR.2019.8779466
M3 - Conference contribution
C2 - 31374602
AN - SCOPUS:85071182767
T3 - IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics
SP - 28
EP - 33
BT - 2019 IEEE 16th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, ICORR 2019
PB - IEEE Computer Society
Y2 - 24 June 2019 through 28 June 2019
ER -