ABSTRACT

Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) is a wearable human assistant cyborg-type robot that helps lower-leg movement based on bioelectrical signals detected from the voluntary movement of the person wearing it. In this study, we developed a novel staged HAL treatment protocol for patients with acute stroke. The Regain Program for Gait with HAL (RPG-HAL) was formulated in four steps, based on the severity of limb paralysis. Twenty-one patients with acute stroke received a combination treatment of RPG-HAL and conventional rehabilitation. The feasibility and safety of RPG-HAL were evaluated based on changes in physical function and activities of daily living (ADL). RPG-HAL yielded improvement in gait speed, cadence, step length, and functional ambulation category (FAC). The effect size was >0.8 in all measurements. FAC (1.90) and Barthel Index (BI) (1.92) exhibited the highest scores. Twelve out of 14 patients with FAC 0 before RPG-HAL reached the upper FAC. Thus, earlier intervention using RPG-HAL as improving physical function, ADL, and gait ability in patients with stroke.

摘要

Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) 是一种可穿戴的人类辅助机器人型机器人，它根据佩戴者的自主运动检测到的生物电信号来帮助小腿运动。在这项研究中，我们为急性卒中患者开发了一种新的分期 HAL 治疗方案。根据肢体瘫痪的严重程度，HAL 步态恢复计划 (RPG-HAL) 分四个步骤制定。21 名急性卒中患者接受了 RPG-HAL 和常规康复的联合治疗。RPG-HAL 的可行性和安全性根据身体机能和日常生活活动 (ADL) 的变化进行评估。RPG-HAL 在步态速度、节奏、步长和功能性步行类别 (FAC) 方面取得了改善。在所有测量中，效应大小>0.8。FAC (1.90) 和 Barthel 指数 (BI) (1. 92) 得分最高。在 RPG-HAL 达到上 FAC 之前，FAC 为 0 的 14 名患者中有 12 名。因此，使用 RPG-HAL 进行早期干预可以改善中风患者的身体功能、ADL 和步态能力。