AUTHOR=Sierra M. Sergio D. , Garcia A. Daniel E. , Otálora Sophia , Arias-Castro María Camila , Gómez-Rodas Alejandro , Múnera Marcela , Cifuentes Carlos A. 

TITLE=Assessment of a Robotic Walker in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Living Activities

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurorobotics

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurorobotics/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2021.742281

DOI=10.3389/fnbot.2021.742281

ISSN=1662-5218

ABSTRACT=<p>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 (<italic>p-value</italic> = 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 (<italic>p-value</italic> = 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 (<italic>p-value</italic> of 0.05) but not in force (<italic>p-value</italic> 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.</p>