Investigation of gait cycle deviation over surface irregularities utilizing muscle activities

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Human gait analysis
• Exoskeleton technology

Background:

• Walking on uneven surfaces poses fall risks for exoskeleton users.
• Minimizing fall tendency requires balancing exoskeletons against gait variations.
• Gait variations are studied using electromyography (EMG) from leg muscles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare hamstring and gastrocnemius muscle activity during treadmill walking.
• To analyze muscle activity on both even and uneven surfaces.

Main Methods:

• Collected integrated electromyography (EMG) signals from eight healthy male subjects.
• Subjects walked on a treadmill over even and uneven planes.
• Analyzed muscle activity variations using two-way ANOVA with replications.

Main Results:

• Hamstring muscle activity varied significantly during the swing phase but not the stance phase across all planes.
• Gastrocnemius muscle activity showed changes between swing and stance phases on both even and uneven planes.
• Forward walking on uneven surfaces demonstrated distinct muscle activation patterns.

Conclusions:

• Gait cycle variation is influenced by surface irregularities.
• Surface characteristics are crucial for developing stable and effective exoskeleton systems.
• Understanding muscle activity differences is key for adaptive exoskeleton control.