Design and Validation of a Tripping-Eliciting Platform Based on Compliant Random Obstacles

Goal: The experimental study of the stumble phenomena is essential to develop novel technological solutions to limit harmful effects in at-risk populations. A versatile platform to deliver realistic and unanticipated tripping perturbations, controllable in their strength and timing, would be benefic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE open journal of engineering in medicine and biology 2025-01, Vol.6, p.168-175
Main Authors: Anselmino, Eugenio, Pittoni, Lorenzo, Ciapetti, Tommaso, Piazzini, Michele, Macchi, Claudio, Mazzoni, Alberto, Micera, Silvestro, Forner-Cordero, Arturo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Barriers
Controllability
Falling
Foot
Legged locomotion
Limiting
Modular systems
Perturbation
Perturbation methods
Population studies
Protocols
Robots
Safety
Stroke (medical condition)
stumble apparatus
stumble recovery strategies
Trajectory
trip
tripping platform
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Summary:Goal: The experimental study of the stumble phenomena is essential to develop novel technological solutions to limit harmful effects in at-risk populations. A versatile platform to deliver realistic and unanticipated tripping perturbations, controllable in their strength and timing, would be beneficial for this field of study. Methods: We built a modular tripping-eliciting system based on multiple compliant trip blocks that deliver unanticipated tripping perturbations. The system was validated with a study with 9 healthy subjects. Results: The system delivered 33 out of 34 perturbations (a minimum of 3 per subject) during the desired gait phase, and 31 effectively induced a tripping event. The recovery strategies adopted after the perturbations were qualitatively consistent with the literature. The analysis of the inertial motion unit signals and the questionnaires suggests a limited adaptation to the perturbation throughout experiments. Conclusions: The platform succeeded in providing realistic trip perturbations, concurrently limiting subjects' adaptation. The presence of multiple compliant obstacles, tunable regarding position and perturbation strength, represents a novelty in the field, allowing the study of stumbling phenomena caused by obstacles with different levels of sturdiness. The overall system is modular and can be easily adapted for different applications.
ISSN:2644-1276
2644-1276
DOI:10.1109/OJEMB.2024.3493619