Older adults typically demonstrate reductions in overground walking speeds and propulsive forces compared to young adults. These reductions in walking speeds are risk factors for negative health outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of an adaptive speed treadmill controller on walking speed and propulsive forces in older adults, including the mechanisms and strategies underlying any change in propulsive force between conditions. Seventeen participants completed two treadmill conditions, one with a fixed comfortable walking speed and one with an adaptive speed controller. The adaptive speed treadmill controller utilized a set of inertial-force, gait parameters, and position-based controllers that respond to an instantaneous anterior inertial force. A biomechanical-based model previously developed for individuals post-stroke was implemented for older adults to determine the primary gait parameters that contributed to the change in propulsive forces when increasing speed. Participants walked at faster average speeds during the adaptive speed controller (1.20 m/s) compared to the fixed speed controller conditions (0.98 m/s); however, these speeds were not as fast as their overground speed (1.44 m/s). Although average trailing limb angle (TLA) (p < 0.001) and ankle moment (p = 0.020) increased when speed also increased between treadmill conditions, increasing TLA contributed more to the increased propulsive forces seen during faster treadmill speeds. Our findings show that older adults chose faster walking speeds and increased propulsive force when walking on an adaptive speed treadmill compared to a fixed speed treadmill, suggesting that an adaptive speed treadmill controller has the potential to be a beneficial alternative to current exercise interventions for older adults.

与年轻人相比，老年人通常表现出地面步行速度和推进力的降低。这些步行速度的降低是负面健康结果的风险因素。因此，本研究旨在确定自适应速度跑步机控制器对老年人步行速度和推进力的影响，包括不同条件下推进力发生任何变化的机制和策略。十七名参与者完成了两种跑步机条件，一种具有固定的舒适步行速度，另一种具有自适应速度控制器。自适应速度跑步机控制器利用了一组惯性力、步态参数和基于位置的控制器，这些控制器响应瞬时前惯性力。以前为中风后个人开发的基于生物力学的模型已针对老年人实施，以确定在提高速度时导致推进力变化的主要步态参数。与固定速度控制器条件 (0.98 m/s) 相比，参与者在自适应速度控制器 (1.20 m/s) 期间以更快的平均速度行走；然而，这些速度没有它们的地面速度（1.44 m/s）那么快。虽然平均后肢角 (TLA) (p < 0.001) 和踝关节力矩 (p = 0.020) 在跑步机条件之间的速度也增加时增加，但增加 TLA 对增加跑步机速度期间的推进力的贡献更大。