Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living Activities
The constant growth of the population with mobility impairments, such as older adults and people suffering from neurological pathologies like Parkinson's disease (PD), has encouraged the development of multiple devices for gait assistance. Robotic walkers have emerged, improving physical stabil...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurorobotics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2021.742281/full |
| _version_ | 1819172676320624640 |
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| author | Sergio D. Sierra M. Daniel E. Garcia A. Sophia Otálora María Camila Arias-Castro Alejandro Gómez-Rodas Alejandro Gómez-Rodas Marcela Múnera Carlos A. Cifuentes |
| author_facet | Sergio D. Sierra M. Daniel E. Garcia A. Sophia Otálora María Camila Arias-Castro Alejandro Gómez-Rodas Alejandro Gómez-Rodas Marcela Múnera Carlos A. Cifuentes |
| author_sort | Sergio D. Sierra M. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The constant growth of the population with mobility impairments, such as older adults and people suffering from neurological pathologies like Parkinson's disease (PD), has encouraged the development of multiple devices for gait assistance. Robotic walkers have emerged, improving physical stability and balance and providing cognitive aid in rehabilitation scenarios. Different studies evaluated human gait behavior with passive and active walkers to understand such rehabilitation processes. However, there is no evidence in the literature of studies with robotic walkers in daily living scenarios with older adults with Parkinson's disease. This study presents the assessment of the AGoRA Smart Walker using Ramps Tests and Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT). Ten older adults participated in the study, four had PD, and the remaining six had underlying conditions and fractures. Each of them underwent a physical assessment (i.e., Senior Fitness, hip, and knee strength tests) and then interacted with the AGoRA SW. Kinematic and physical interaction data were collected through the AGoRA walker's sensory interface. It was found that for lower limb strength tests, older adults with PD had increases of at least 15% in all parameters assessed. For the Sit to Stand Test, the Parkinson's group evidenced an increase of 23%, while for the Chair Sit and Reach Test (CSRT), this same group was only 0.04 m away from reaching the target. For the Ramp Up Test (RUT), the subjects had to make a greater effort, and significant differences (p-value = 0.04) were evidenced in the force they applied to the device. For the Ramp Down Test (RDT), the Parkinson's group exhibited a decrease in torque, and there were statistically significant differences (p-value = 0.01) due to the increase in the complexity of the task. In the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), the subjects presented significant differences in torque (p-value of 0.05) but not in force (p-value of 0.22) due to the effect of the admittance controller implemented in the study. Finally, the results suggested that the walker, represents a valuable tool for assisting people with gait motor deficits in tasks that demanded more physical effort adapting its behavior to the specific needs of each user. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:10:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-210e33db7fdd49ae93093faedcc8e6a3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5218 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:10:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurorobotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-210e33db7fdd49ae93093faedcc8e6a32022-12-21T18:14:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurorobotics1662-52182021-12-011510.3389/fnbot.2021.742281742281Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living ActivitiesSergio D. Sierra M.0Daniel E. Garcia A.1Sophia Otálora2María Camila Arias-Castro3Alejandro Gómez-Rodas4Alejandro Gómez-Rodas5Marcela Múnera6Carlos A. Cifuentes7Department of Biomedical Engineering, Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito, Bogotá, ColombiaPrograma de Fisioterapia, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, Pereira, ColombiaPrograma de Fisioterapia, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, Pereira, ColombiaPrograma Ciencias del Deporte y la Recreación, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, ColombiaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito, Bogotá, ColombiaThe constant growth of the population with mobility impairments, such as older adults and people suffering from neurological pathologies like Parkinson's disease (PD), has encouraged the development of multiple devices for gait assistance. Robotic walkers have emerged, improving physical stability and balance and providing cognitive aid in rehabilitation scenarios. Different studies evaluated human gait behavior with passive and active walkers to understand such rehabilitation processes. However, there is no evidence in the literature of studies with robotic walkers in daily living scenarios with older adults with Parkinson's disease. This study presents the assessment of the AGoRA Smart Walker using Ramps Tests and Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT). Ten older adults participated in the study, four had PD, and the remaining six had underlying conditions and fractures. Each of them underwent a physical assessment (i.e., Senior Fitness, hip, and knee strength tests) and then interacted with the AGoRA SW. Kinematic and physical interaction data were collected through the AGoRA walker's sensory interface. It was found that for lower limb strength tests, older adults with PD had increases of at least 15% in all parameters assessed. For the Sit to Stand Test, the Parkinson's group evidenced an increase of 23%, while for the Chair Sit and Reach Test (CSRT), this same group was only 0.04 m away from reaching the target. For the Ramp Up Test (RUT), the subjects had to make a greater effort, and significant differences (p-value = 0.04) were evidenced in the force they applied to the device. For the Ramp Down Test (RDT), the Parkinson's group exhibited a decrease in torque, and there were statistically significant differences (p-value = 0.01) due to the increase in the complexity of the task. In the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), the subjects presented significant differences in torque (p-value of 0.05) but not in force (p-value of 0.22) due to the effect of the admittance controller implemented in the study. Finally, the results suggested that the walker, represents a valuable tool for assisting people with gait motor deficits in tasks that demanded more physical effort adapting its behavior to the specific needs of each user.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2021.742281/fullsmart walkerParkinson's diseasedaily living activitiessenior fitnesstimed up and goolder adults |
| spellingShingle | Sergio D. Sierra M. Daniel E. Garcia A. Sophia Otálora María Camila Arias-Castro Alejandro Gómez-Rodas Alejandro Gómez-Rodas Marcela Múnera Carlos A. Cifuentes Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living Activities Frontiers in Neurorobotics smart walker Parkinson's disease daily living activities senior fitness timed up and go older adults |
| title | Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living Activities |
| title_full | Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living Activities |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living Activities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living Activities |
| title_short | Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living Activities |
| title_sort | assessment of a robotic walker in older adults with parkinson s disease in daily living activities |
| topic | smart walker Parkinson's disease daily living activities senior fitness timed up and go older adults |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2021.742281/full |
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