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An Energy-Based Personalized Gait Adjustment Approach for Individuals with Gait Abnormalities During Walking
IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering
|July 29, 2026
Summary
This study introduces an energy-based gait adjustment method using a personalized model to enhance walking performance for individuals with gait abnormalities. The novel approach improved key gait parameters in healthy and cerebral palsy subjects.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Rehabilitation Engineering
- Assistive Technology
Background:
- Gait abnormalities significantly impact mobility and quality of life.
- Current assistive devices often lack personalized adaptation to individual gait patterns.
- Energy-based approaches offer potential for dynamic and responsive gait assistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel energy-based gait adjustment approach for personalized assistance.
- To improve gait performance in individuals with various gait abnormalities.
- To investigate the efficacy of a Lower-Limb Bidirectional Potential Energy Transmission (BPET) model for gait assistance.
Main Methods:
- A Lower-Limb Bidirectional Potential Energy Transmission (BPET) model was developed, integrating the human leg with an elastic energy storage element (EESE).
- The stiffness of the EESE was modeled based on the BPET model, and a simplification using the least-squares method yielded a personalized constant stiffness (K).
- A prototype gait assistance module was tested on six healthy subjects with simulated abnormalities and one subject with cerebral palsy (CP), assessing nine gait performance indices.
Main Results:
- In healthy subjects, the module increased peak hip flexion, hip range of motion (ROM), toe clearance, step length, and stride length.
- Peak knee flexion improved in most healthy subjects, and significant gains in hip flexion, hip ROM, toe clearance, step length, and stride length were observed in the CP subject.
- Temporal symmetry indices shifted towards ideal values across all participants, indicating improved gait regularity.
Conclusions:
- Personalized elastic assistance, guided by a user-specific model, shows promise for enhancing gait performance during rollator-assisted walking.
- The BPET model provides a foundation for developing adaptive assistive devices for gait rehabilitation.
- Further research is warranted to validate these findings in larger and more diverse populations.
