The researchers believe this system will be especially useful for people who are somewhat frail but do not yet need a rollator.
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed robotic shorts—dubbed WalkON—that enable people to walk more easily while expending measurably less energy. The aim is to keep frail individuals and in particular the elderly mobile and healthy for longer.
According to the researchers’ analyses, when a young person walks 500 meters up a hill with the aid of the robotic shorts, the metabolic cost is reduced by 18% as compared to unaided walking. For an older person walking 400 meters on level ground, it is reduced by over 10%. This is comparable to the effects of a reduction in body weight of 10 or 6 kilograms.
When the user transitions from standing to walking, 2 thin, artificial tendons extending from the thigh to a waist belt pull upward at the same time and relieve the hip flexors of some of their load. A measuring device attached to the tendons determines the hip angle and velocity. The device sends a signal to the motors precisely at the transition to the swing phase of walking. Regardless of whether an older person or a sporty teenager is wearing the robotic shorts, the system recognizes how fast or slowly the person is moving, adapts to the respective weight of the legs, and provides individual support accordingly. As the walking shorts do not require any pre-settings, they can be donned and ready to use in just a few minutes.
A questionnaire completed by participants indicated a strong sense of control, with respondents awarding a mean rating of over 6 on a scale from 0 (no control possible) to 7 (very good control possible).
