Search

In this paper, we are interested in the characteristics of a knee joint when the knee extension motion was assisted by a powered knee orthosis using a muscular stiffness force feedback. For this purpose, we developed the powered knee orthosis with an artificial pneumatic actuator, which is intended for the assistance and the enhancement of muscular activities of lower limbs. The objective of this study was to confirm the effectiveness of the powered knee orthosis that generated a knee extension torque in the motion related to a knee joint. Twenty healthy subjects participated in this study and their lower limb muscular activities were measured to identify the effectiveness of the powered knee orthosis during sit-to-stand (STS) and squat motion. The muscular activities between with and without assistance of knee extension motion were compared and analyzed for the assistance characteristics of the powered knee orthosis. To generate the knee extension torque, the knee orthosis was controlled using muscular stiffness force (MSF) feedback that is controlled by muscular activities of the vastus intermedius muscle that mainly related to the knee extension motion. For analysis of muscular activities, the surface electromyography of the muscles related to the knee extension motion, i.e., RF, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius muscles in lower limbs of the right side were recorded and biodex dynamometer was used to measure the maximal concentric isokinetic strength of the knee extensors. The experimental result showed that muscular activities in lower limbs with the assistance of the powered knee orthosis was reduced by 25.62% in rectus femoris muscle and 29.82% in biceps femoris muscle, respectively and knee extension torque of an knee joint wearing knee orthosis was increased by 17.68% in averaged peak torque. Based on the effectiveness of the powered knee orthosis, weaken elder people may have benefited from the knee extension motion augmented by the powered knee orthosis during activity of daily living, e.g., stair ascent.

This study investigated the effect of whole-body vibration on muscle function and muscular reaction in the knee joint. We recruited thirty healthy subjects and divided them into a training group, who experienced whole-body vibration, and a control group, who did not. The training group performed whole-body vibration exercises for 30 min per day, 3 days a week, for 8 weeks. We measured knee joint torque to estimate muscle strength and reaction, using BIODEX System 3. Knee joint peak torque and total work performed increased significantly in the training group, and muscle acceleration time decreased. These results suggest that stimulation by whole-body vibration can improve muscle strength and reaction by improving muscle tone and increasing blood temperature and flow speed in muscular fiber. Our results also indicate that 4 weeks of exercise with whole-body vibration is required to improve the reaction response, and six weeks to improve strength.

The Interest in disease prevention and rehabilitation is increasing depending on increase of patients with spinal. This is being developed using the spine stabilization device is being studied. So far studies have only evaluated the effect on trunk stabilization exercises but analysis of human movement patterns for active movement and passive movement did not. We assessed the muscle activity of trunk and leg muscle during passive and active tilt mode on eight tilt directions at tilt angle of 30° using 3-D dynamic postural balance training system. We performed experimental study on the muscular activities of trunk muscle about rectus abdominis, external obliques, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, and leg muscle about rectus femoris, Biceps femoris, Tibialis Anterior, gastrocnemius. As a result, muscle activation was different depending on the direction of movement and pattern. The results indicate that various patterns of spinal stabilization exercise system could be applied to an effective training of chronic low back pain patients.

It is necessary to develop a rehabilitation robot for the assistance of movement of the ankle joint and the enhancement of ankle muscular activities during walking for the elderly. A powered ankle exoskeleton with an artificial pneumatic muscle has been designed to provide powered assistance in the plantarflexion motion of the ankle joint. The objective of this study was to confirm the effectiveness of the powered ankle exoskeleton for the plantarflexion torque of the ankle joint. Fifteen healthy and fifteen elderly people used a wearable ankle exoskeleton during the plantarflexion motion of the ankle joint. Participants were assessed with three parameters to confirm the effectiveness of the system: a) maximal voluntary isokinetic plantarflexion torque using a Biodexdynamometer, b) muscular activities of the lower limbs, c) correlation of the agonist muscle and plantar torque during plantarflexion motion of the ankle joint. The assistance of the plantarflexion motion of the ankle joint is determined by the plantarflexion torque of the artificial pneumatic muscle of the powered ankle exoskeleton, and the assistant timing was decided the detection of subject’s movement intention that they did plantarflexion motion of the ankle joint. We developed a muscular stiffness force sensor to detect the activation of the soleus muscle for feed-forward control of the ankle exoskeleton. The experimental results show that the muscular stiffness force of the soleus muscle with feed-forward control was decreased, and the plantarflexion torque of the ankle joint while only wearing the ankle exoskeleton was decreased, but the plantarflexion torque with feed-forward control was increased. The amount of increasing with feed-forward control is higher than that of decreasing only wearing the exoskeleton. Based on the effectiveness of the system with the healthy participants, the elderly may have benefited from the plantarflexion motion augmented by the powered ankle exoskeleton.

Electronic Travel Aids (ETAs) improve the mobility of visually-impaired persons, but it is not easy to develop an ETA satisfying all the factors needed for reliable object detection, effective notification, and actual usability. In this study, the authors developed an easy-to-use ETA having the function of reliable object detection and its successful feedback to the user by tactile stimulation. Seven ultrasonic sensors facing in different directions detect obstacles in the walking path, while vibrators in the tactile display stimulate the hand according to the distribution of obstacles. The detection of ground drop-offs activates the electromagnetic brakes linked to the rear wheels. To verify the feasibility of the developed ETA in the outdoor environment, walking tests by blind participants were performed, and the evaluation of safety to ground drop-offs was carried out. From the experiment, the feasibility of the developed ETA was shown to be sufficient if the sensor ranges for hanging obstacle detection is improved and learning time is provided for the ETA. Finally, the light-weight and low cost ETA designed and assembled based on the evaluation of the developed ETA is introduced to show the improvement of portability and usability, and is compared with the previously developed ETAs.

In this study, we proposed the most efficient driving posture based on the analysis of quantitative muscular strength and fatigue degree according to posture. Since driving include complicated actions required by a variety of ability and cause by extremes concentration or strain, drivers tend to feel tired easily. However, drivers can't recognize the fatigue degree by themselves. Moreover, the method for measuring the quantitative fatigue degree exactly is quite difficult to be secured. 9 professional bus drivers were participated. We analyzed the quantitative legs' muscular strength when operating each pedal. And then we also analyzed the muscular strength and muscular fatigue degree according to driving pattern during bus driving. Therefore, we suggested the most efficient driving posture.

The purpose of this study was to verify the validation of effect on improvement of muscle strength unbalance according to exercise load deviation during rowing exercise. We performed evaluation of muscular activity and joint torque before the test. We recruited twenty subjects who one side`s muscle strength is bigger in more 20% than other side. Subjects divided two groups. One is dominant left side and the other was dominant right side. Subjects performed rowing exercise in electric load deviation rowing equipment (Robo.gym, Humonic Co., Ltd., Daegu, Korea). Exercise performed four sets a day including 25 times a set, and three days a week. Measurements consist of evaluation of muscular activity and joint torque. Exercise load deviation adapted that different value of muscle strength in both arms multiplied 1RM% and added 1RM 50%. The results in adapted load deviation showed that the differences of maximal peak torque in 22.75% were getting increase significantly during exercise in 5.72%. This interpreted that rowing exercise with loading deviation types could provide muscle strength and muscular endurance exercise in same time for balance. Our study found out that loading deviation could provide muscle strength and muscular endurance exercise for improving muscle unbalance.

In this study, we analyzed the effects of game-based visual feedback training on postural balance control in young adults. We provided postural balance training for four weeks in fifth minute a day and three days a week using training system of postural balance based forceplate. We evaluated the ability of postural balance using balance SD(Biodex, medicalscience Inc., USA) for the validation of game contents based visual feedback training program. The results showed that postural stability and limits of stability were improved significantly before and after the training(p

Abnormal changes in the ST segment of an electrocardiogram (ECG) are very important diagnostic parameters for detecting myocardial ischemia. ST segment analysis requires a long-term ECG recording because of the transient change of the ST segment. Deviations of the ST segment are generally related to myocardial abnormality. In this study, we classify the ST segments by their morphology. First, a set of reference ST shapes is given. The ECG analysis algorithm developed in this study consists of feature point detection and ST shape classification. S wave and J-point detection are performed during the process of feature point detection, and the proposed algorithm classifies the STs into reference ST shapes. To improve the performance of ST shape classification, the rules for the trend of previous beats and the shape type of previous beats are used. The results from the proposed algorithm can provide information on the change in the ST shape. In our evaluation for classification of STs by their morphology using the test ECG data, the global correct rate was 83.14%. The best accuracy of existing ST level detection algorithms are 90% and over. However, considering that ST level detection algorithms cannot show the change of ST morphology; and that there are no studies about the classification of STs by their morphology using a reference ST set, the proposed algorithm is worthy of note.

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a prototype KAFO (Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis) powered by two artificial pneumatic muscles during walking. We had previously built powered AFO (Ankle-Foot Orthosis) and KO (Knee Orthosis) and used it effectively in studies on assistance of plantaflexion and knee extension motion. Extending the previous study to a KAFO presented additional challenges related to the assistance of gait motion for rehabilitation training. Five healthy males were performed gait motion on treadmill wearing KAFO equipped with artificial pneumatic muscles to power ankle plantaflexion and knee extension. Subjects walked on treadmill at 1.5 km/h under four conditions without extensive practice: 1) without wearing KAFO, 2) wearing KAFO with artificial muscles turned off, 3) wearing KAFO powered only in plantaflexion under feedforward control, and 4) wearing KAFO powered both in plantaflexion and knee extension under feedforward control. We collected surface electromyography, foot pressure and kinematics of ankle and knee joint. The experimental result showed that a muscular strength of wearing KAFO powered plnatarfexion and knee extension under feedforward control was measured to be lower due to pneumatic assistance and foot pressure of wearing KAFO powered plnatarfexion and knee extension under feedforward control was measured to be greater due to power assistance. In the result of motion analysis, the ankle angle of powered KAFO in terminal stance phase was found a peak value toward plantaflexion and there were difference of maximum knee flexion range among condition 2, 3 and 4 in mid-swing phase. The current orthosis design provided plantaflexion torque of ankle jonit in terminal stance phase and knee extension torque of knee joint in mid-swing phase.

ECG is used on purpose to keep good health or monitor cardiac function of aged person as well as on purpose to diagnose the disease of heart patients. The ambulatory ECG monitoring system under guarantee of safety and accuracy is very efficient to prevent the progress of heart disease and sudden death. These systems can detect the temporary change of ECG that is very significant to diagnose heart disease such as myocardial ischemia, arrhyamia and cardiac infarction. In this paper, we describe the ECG signal analysis algorithm and measurement device for ECG monitoring. The authors designed a small-size portable ECG device that consisted of instrumentation amplifier, micro-controller, filter and RF module. The device measures ECG with four electrodes on the body and detects QRS complex and ST level change in realtime. Also it transmits the measured signals to the personal computer. The developed software for ECG analysis in personal computer has the function to detect the feature points and ST level changes.

In walking guide robot, a guide vehicle detects an obstacle distribution in the walking space using range sensors, and generates a 3D grid map to map the obstacle information and the tactile display. And the obstacle information is transferred to a blind pedestrian using tactile feedback. Based on the obstacle information a user plans a walking route and controls the guide vehicle. The algorithm for 3D detection of an obstacle distribution and the method of mapping the generated obstacle map and the tactile display device are proposed in this paper. The experiment for the 3D detection of an obstacle distribution using ultrasonic sensors is performed and estimated. The experimental system consisted of ultrasonic sensors and control system. In the experiment, the detection of fixed obstacles on the ground, the moving obstacle, and the detection of down-step are performed. The performance for the 3D detection of an obstacle distribution and space mapping is verified through the experiment.

Myocardial ischemia is a disorder of cardiac function caused by insuficient blood flow to the muscle tissue of the heart. We can diagnose myocardial ischemia by observing the change of ST-segment, but this change is temporary. Our primary purpose is to detect the temporary change of the 57-segment automatically In the signal processing, the wavelet transform decomposes the ECG(electrocardiogram) signal into high and low frequency components using wavelet function. Recomposing the high frequency bands including QRS complex, we can detect QRS complex more easily. Amplitude comparison method is adopted to detect QRS complex. Reducing the effect of noise to the minimum, we grouped ECG by 5 data and compared the amplitude of maximum value. To recognize the ECG .signal pattern, we adopted the polynomial approximation partially and statistical method. The polynomial approximation makes possible to compare some ECG signal with different frequency and sampling period. The ECG signal is divided into small parts based on QRS complex, and then, each part is approximated to the polynomials. After removing the distorted ECG by calculating the difference between the orignal ECG and the approximated ECG for polynomial, we compared the approximated ECG pattern with the database, and we detected and classified abnormality of ECG.

ECG is used on purpose to keep good health or monitor cardiac function of aged person as well as on purpose to diagnose the disease of heart patients. The ambulatory ECG monitoring system under guarantee of safety and accuracy is very efficient to prevent the progress of heart disease and sudden death. These systems can detect the temporary change of ECG that is very significant to diagnose heart disease such as myocardial ischemia, arrhythmia and cardiac infarction. In this paper, we describe the ECG signal analysis algorithm and measurement system for ECG monitoring. The designed small-size portable ECG device consisted of instrumentation amplifier, micro-controller, filter and RF module. The developed device measures ECG with four electrodes in the body and detects QRS complex and ST level change in real-time. Also it transmits the measured signal to the personal computer. The developed software for ECG analysis in personal computer has the function to detect the feature points and ST level change.

Ankle exoskeleton with an artificial pneumatic actuator, which is intended for the assistance and enhancement of muscular activity, was developed. In this study, the effectiveness of the system was investigated during plantarflexion motion of ankle joint. To find an effectiveness of the system, the subjects performed maximal voluntary isokinetic plantarflexion contraction on a Biodex-dynamometer. Plantarfexion torque of the ankle joint is assisted by subject's soleus muscle that is generated when ankle joint do plantarflexion motion. We used the muscular stiffness signal of a soleus muscle for feed-forward control of ankle-foot orthosis as physiological signal. For measurement of this signal, we made the muscular stiffness force sensor. We compared a muscular stiffness force of a soleus muscle between with feed-forward control and without it and a maximal plantarflexion torque between not wearing a ankle-foot orthosis, without feed-forward control wearing it and with feed-forward control wearing it in each ten elderly adults. The experimental result showed that a muscular stiffness force of a soleus muscle with feed-forward control was reduced and plantarflexion torque of an ankle joint only wearing ankle-foot orthosis was reduced but a plantarflexion torque with feed-forward control was increased. The amount of a increasing with feed-forward control is higher than the amount of a decreasing only wearing it. Therefore, we confirmed the effectiveness of the developed ankle-foot orthosis with feed-forward control.

In walking guide system for a blind pedestrian, it is needed to detect an obstacle distribution in walking space not only 2D but space including pendent and/or protruded obstacles, and feedback to the blind for safe walking. The obstacle information is transferred to a blind pedestrian by a tactile stimulation. Based on the obstacle information a user plans walking route, and controls the walking guide system. In this paper, the methods for a 3D obstacle detection using ultrasonic sensors and mapping to an array type tactile stimulator are proposed. The experiment for the 3D detection of an obstacle distribution using ultrasonic sensors is performed and estimated. The experimental system consisted of ultrasonic sensors and control system. In the experiment, the detection of obstacles on the ground and the detection of down step are performed. The performance for the 3D detection of obstacle distribution and mapping for tactile stimulation are verified through the experiment.

ST segment is the most important diagnostic parameter to finding myocardial ischemia. Generally physicians make theirs effort to find the change of ST level and shape in ECG to diagnose myocardial ischemia. Most of algorithms that have been developed until now place importance on the ST segment depression and elevation. However, ST change in shape is also good parameter to find a heart disease and it should be considered prudently. The aim of this study is to detect the change of ST in shape using a polynomial approximation method. The developed algorithm finds the least squares curve for the data between S wave and T wave in ECG and calculates the variance of ST shape. An approximate curve of ST is represented by one polynomial over the whole ST or three polynomials for the segmented ST by three parts. The algorithm considers only the relative change of ST shape based on the reference ST, normal shape typically. From the results of the developed algorithm, we can acquire visually the information about the place to include the change of ST shape in the test ECG provided by European ST database.

In this paper, we describe the hardware configuration for ambulatory ECG monitoring device and the algorithm for detection of ST shape change. Ambulatory ECG recordings are available for diagnosis of heart diseases such as myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, etc. It especially is important to detect the transient ECG pattern changes. The detection of transient ST change caused by myocardial ischemia is one of the reasons why ambulatory ECG monitoring system is necessary. We designed a small-size portable ECG device that consisted of instrumentation amplifier, multiplexer, micro-controller, filter and transmitter module. The device measures ECG with four electrodes in the body and transmits the signal to receiver connected in PC by digital radio way. The developed algorithm detects the ST level change, and then classifies the ST shape type using the polynomial approximation. The algorithm finds the least squares curve for the data between S wave and T wave in ECG. This curve is used for the classification of the ST shapes. ST type is classified by comparing the slopes between the reference ST type and the least square curve. Through the result from the developed algorithm, we can know when the ST level change occurs and what the ST shape type is. And, the result of analysis is used to make control signal that decides when ECG recording begin and when stop.

In this paper, we describe the hardware configuration for the ambulatory ECG monitoring device and the algorithm for detection of ST pattern change. The ambulatory ECG recording are available for diagnosis of the heart diseases such as myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, etc. It especially is important to detect the transient ECG pattern change caused by the unbalance between the oxygen supply and the oxygen demand in the cardiac muscle that is called myocardial ischemia. This is one of the reasons why the ambulatory ECG monitoring system is necessary. We designed the portable ECG measurement device with the analysis algorithm. The algorithm analyzes the ECG signal and detects the transient ST changes. The detection of QRS complex is accomplished using its the morphological characteristics such as the steep slope and high amplitude. The developed algorithm detects the ST level change, and then classify the ST shape type using the polynomial approximation. The algorithm finds the least squares curve for the data between S wave and T wave in ECG. This curve is used for the classification of the ST shapes. ST type is classified by calculating the difference between the reference ST type and the least square curve. Through the result from the developed algorithm, we can know when the ST level change occurs and what the ST shape type is. The portable ECG device consists of instrumentation amplifier, multiplexer, micro-controller, filter and transmitter module. The designed ECG device measures ECG with four electrodes on the body and transmits the measured ECG signal to the receiver connected in PC by digital radio way. The available range of wireless communication is 70 m in building and 300 m in open ground