top of page

Hip Joint Based Walking Assist Device

Specification

Weight: 3 kilograms including batteries

Driver: motor in each hip joint

Operating time: 3 hours for normal walking

This research was the three months project in my first year of work at service robot department of Industrial Technology Research Institute(ITRI). Aiming to develop the solution for helping elder people to walk and get upstairs easily.

Background

The mobility problem of the elder people in the long-term potential issue for us to consider the appropriate solution. We developed a lightweight hip joint based walking assist device by strength control for easier wearing and optimize the efficiency of energy consumption.  

Design

We designed the user fitting structure to diminish the load and friction between thigh frame and skin. We installed the motor in each hip joint for helping user lift each leg at the thigh when they walking and climbing the stairs. The adjustable torque of the motors outputs based on the contribution of the user strength and work as the same direction as the user tend to move forward or backward.

Future Work

  • Improvement of gait pattern based on motion analysis.

  • Optimization the structure of the device to more lightweight and greater endurance.

  • Involving in clinical research for getting user's feedback.

bottom of page