Gait generation for powered Hip-Ankle-Linkage-Orthosis.

A hip-knee-ankle-foot orthotic system called `HALO'(Hip and Ankle Linked Orthosis) for paraplegic walking has been developed in our previous study. Each ankle joint of the HALO system is linked with a medial single joint via a wire which allows both feet of the orthosis to stay always parallel to the floor during walking and assists swinging the leg. The tests of the HALO system demonstrated that it allows smoother walking and easy don/doff.

The development and testing of a system for wheelchair stability measurement.

Wheelchair stability has an impact on safety as well as wheelchair performance, propulsion and manoeuvrability. Wheelchair stability is affected by the addition of life-supporting heavy equipment, e.g.

Establishing user needs for a stability assessment tool to guide wheelchair prescription.

Purpose: The WheelSense project aims to develop a system for assessing the stability and performance of wheelchairs through a user-centred design process. This study sought to capture user needs and define the specification for the system.

Method: A mixed methods approach was adopted.

Simulation model of a lever-propelled wheelchair.

Wheelchair efficiency depends significantly on the individual adjustment of the wheelchair propulsion interface. Wheelchair prescription involves reconfiguring the wheelchair to optimize it for specific user characteristics. Wheelchair tuning procedure is a complicated task that is performed usually by experienced rehabilitation engineers.

An approach to measure wheelchair stability. Concept and benefits.

Wheelchair stability is dependent on user's body characteristics that can shift significantly the original center of mass in the cases of limb amputation, severe skeletal deformities or obesity. The center of gravity may change with the installation of additional devices such as oxygen cylinders or ventilators on the wheelchair. Therefore, quantitative evaluation and prediction of the behavior of the user-wheelchair system in a variety of static and dynamic situations is essential for user's safety and for the optimal tuning of the human-wheelchair system.

Tongue motor training support system.

In this paper, we introduce a new tongue-training system that can be used for improvement of the tongue's range of motion and muscle strength after dysphagia. The training process is organized in game-like manner. Initially, we analyzed surface electromyography (EMG) signals of the suprahyoid muscles of five subjects during tongue-training motions.

Toward gesture controlled wheelchair: a proof of concept study.

This study focuses on the early stages of developing and testing an interactive approach for gesture-based wheelchair control that could facilitate the user in various tasks such as cooking and food serving. The proposed method allows a user to hold an object (tray, saucepan, etc) with both hands and to control at the same time the wheelchair direction via changing the position of his/her arms. The wheelchair control system contains an image sensor directed to the user's arms.

Surveillance of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in susceptible wildlife and domestic ungulates in Southeast of Bulgaria following a FMD case in wild boar.

Following a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case of serotype O in wild boar in Southeast of Bulgaria, notified in January 2011 and eleven FMD outbreaks in livestock, a control and eradication plan according to the EU legislation was implemented. Based on the epidemiological considerations a "Cordon Sanitaire" along the border to Turkey, consisting of a defined infected area (1240 km(2)) and two areas of risk (2160 km(2)) was established. Within these areas a total of 812 wild boar, 68 roe deer, 7 red deer and 2 mouflons, hunted between February 2011 and January 2012, were tested for the presence of FMD.

Robotic wheelchair control interface based on headrest pressure measurement.

We introduce a novel approach for proportional head control for robotic wheelchairs. An array of force sensors embedded into the headrest is used to monitor the pressure distribution changes due to the intentional head motions of the patient. The force signals are analysed and converted into fully proportional signals that control the wheelchair direction and speed.

The smart house for older persons and persons with physical disabilities: structure, technology arrangements, and perspectives.

Smart houses are considered a good alternative for the independent life of older persons and persons with disabilities. Numerous intelligent devices, embedded into the home environment, can provide the resident with both movement assistance and 24-h health monitoring. Modern home-installed systems tend to be not only physically versatile in functionality but also emotionally human-friendly, i.