Korean scientists design wearable robot to help people walk

Robotic technology is not new to the medical rehabilitation industry. Orthotic devices, robotic gloves and gait training exoskeletons are designed to help patients recover the use of their limbs. 

The robot designed by Juneil Park and the team at Chung-Ang university is a simple wearable device that mimics the natural hip movements of the human body while walking. It is the first device to focus on lateral hip abduction to improve walking efficiency.

By aiding the transfer of the body's center of mass from one foot to the other, the robot can relieve the wearer of much of the effort required for walking.

In their paper, the research team argued that human gait involves "not only the sagittal, but also the transverse and frontal planes". They further demonstrated how hip movement away from the midline was crucial to maintaining balance while walking. This is in sheer contrast to other gait training devices that emphasize forward progression without regard to lateral stability. 

In the tests conducted at Chung-Ang university, the robot was able to reduce the energy spent during walking by as much as 11.6%. Compared to unassisted walking, this huge savings in effort could prove useful for the elderly and people with disabilities. It could also improve rehabilitation of patients recovering from major surgeries. 

Wearable robots such as this bionic walking aid (on Amazon) can help people with lower limb difficulties. Chung-Ang university scientists are confident that this technology will be the future of mobility aid.