Enhancing walking efficiency of adolescents with neurological impairments using an exosuit for ambulatory activities of daily living

Children with walking difficulties often struggle to participate fully in daily activities. This study explores whether a wearable robot, called an exosuit, can help adolescents with neurological impairments walk more efficiently. The Myosuit, a lightweight exosuit, assists hip and knee joints simultaneously. The study assessed whether this exosuit could improve walking efficiency in adolescents with different walking limitations, by measuring time to complete a walking course, step count, heart rate, and muscle activity. The study found that using the exosuit led to a reduction in the time taken to complete the course and a significant decrease in the number of steps taken. Participants also reported feeling that the exosuit reduced their effort and increased their safety, especially when walking uphill.

• 1
  Five out of six participants completed the walking course in less time with the exosuit's assistance, although this reduction was not statistically significant (p=0.08), it showed a large effect size (d=0.88).
• 2
  The number of steps taken significantly decreased with the exosuit's assistance (p=0.04), indicating improved walking efficiency with a large effect size (r=0.90).
• 3
  Participants generally perceived reduced effort and increased safety with the Myosuit's assistance, especially during tasks involving concentric contractions like walking uphill.