Rehabilitation methods for recovering walking function include those using parallel bars and bicycle ergometers. The aim is to restore walking function while reducing the burden on the legs when in a standing position, but consideration must be given to the risk of falling and reduced range of motion of the leg joints. Therefore, in our laboratory, the authors have designed and manufactured a device that can be operated by the users themselves, with a mechanism that reproduces the walking trajectory of the foot, so that the user can maintain the range of joint motion during walking while relieving the load on the legs due to body weight by sitting on a saddle. By having the system be driven by the users themselves, it is expected that they can engage in rehabilitation while taking their own physical condition into consideration. On the other hand, in order to pass through the limit position, which is a problem with the mechanism, a pneumatic rubber artificial muscle is used as a device that partially assists in driving the device. In this study, the method for modifying the mechanism that reproduces walking trajectories using the results obtained from sensitivities analysis is introduced. Furthermore, the prototype of the device is made using the revised mechanical constants, and the motion of the user's legs while using the device is measured and evaluated using a motion sensor.
NANGO et al. (Wed,) studied this question.