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This research aims to understand how ankle exoskeletons affect motor variability and center-of-mass control during walking.

June 20, 2026Gait & PostureOpen Access

Ankle exoskeleton assistance increases task-relevant variability without altering center of mass control during walking

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Randomized trial reveals increased joint variability in walking with exoskeleton, suggesting stability is maintained.

This research aims to understand how ankle exoskeletons affect motor variability and center-of-mass control during walking.
Twenty healthy adults walked on a treadmill at 1.1 m/s with and without an exoskeleton.
Whole-body kinematics were recorded, analyzing variability using the Uncontrolled Manifold approach.
Center-of-mass movement and joint angle variability were assessed across the gait cycle.
Joint angle variability affecting center-of-mass (UCM ⊥) was significantly higher with the exoskeleton (0–80%, p=0.001; 91–100%, p=0.022).
Center-of-mass control (UCM || and UCM ratio) showed no significant differences between conditions.
Vertical center-of-mass displacement exhibited small differences during specific phases of the gait cycle (higher at 23–31% and 75–84%, p=0.037; lower at 48–54%, p=0.042).

Kettner et al. (2026) studied this question.

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