Feasibility of Using Autonomous Ankle Exoskeletons to Augment Community Walking in Cerebral Palsy

<italic>Objective:</italic> This pilot study investigated the feasibility and efficacy of using autonomous ankle exoskeletons in community settings among individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Five participants completed two structured community walking protocols: a week-long ankle exoske...

詳細記述

書誌詳細
出版年:IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology
主要な著者: Collin D. Bowersock, Zachary F. Lerner
フォーマット: 論文
言語:英語
出版事項: IEEE 2025-01-01
主題:
オンライン・アクセス:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10709375/
その他の書誌記述
要約:<italic>Objective:</italic> This pilot study investigated the feasibility and efficacy of using autonomous ankle exoskeletons in community settings among individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Five participants completed two structured community walking protocols: a week-long ankle exoskeleton acclimation and training intervention, and a dose-matched Sham intervention of unassisted walking. <italic>Results:</italic> Results demonstrated significant improvements in acclimatized walking performance with the ankle exoskeleton, including increased speed and stride length. Participants also reported increased enjoyment and perceived benefits of using the exoskeleton. While ankle exoskeleton training did not lead to significant improvements in unassisted walking, this study demonstrates the feasibility of using ankle exoskeletons in the real world by people with CP. <italic>Conclusions:</italic> This study highlights the potential of wearable exoskeletons to augment community walking performance in CP, laying a foundation for further exploration in real-world environments.
ISSN:2644-1276