Analysis of force applied to a four-wheeled walker which assists an elderly person with steady walking

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  • 定常歩行時に歩行補助車へ作用する力の分析
  • テイジョウ ホコウジ ニ ホコウ ホジョシャ エ サヨウ スル チカラ ノ ブンセキ

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Abstract

Force applied to wheels and handgrips of a four-wheeled walker during steady walking has been investigated by an experiment using force plates and by a theoretical model of the walker. In order to verify the validity of the theoretical model for the walker, ten healthy male subjects participated in the experiment. Each subject walked using three kinds of walkers. Force applied to the wheels was measured by two force plates. The theoretical model estimated the force and the torque applied to the handgrips and the wheels from the equilibrium of the force and the moment in the saggital and the frontal planes. Force applied to the front and the rear wheels depends on the center of gravity of the walker. To stabilize the body posture during a single supporting period, the user pushes the handgrips laterally toward the unsupported side. As a result, larger force is applied to the unsupported-side wheels in comparison to the supported-side wheels. The position of the basket of the walker should be designed from an ergonomic point of view because inequality of force applied to the front and the rear wheels can occur.

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