Human-robot interaction: kinematics and muscle activity inside a powered compliant knee exoskeleton.

Until today it is not entirely clear how humans interact with automated gait rehabilitation devices and how we can, based on that interaction, maximize the effectiveness of these exoskeletons. The goal of this study was to gain knowledge on the human-robot interaction, in terms of kinematics and muscle activity, between a healthy human motor system and a powered knee exoskeleton (i.e.

The added value of an actuated ankle-foot orthosis to restore normal gait function in patients with spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

Objective: To provide an overview of robot-assisted rehabilitation devices developed for actuation of the ankle-foot complex and their ability to influence the attributes of normal gait in patients with spinal cord injury.

Methods: A search was conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, National Academic Research and Collaborations Information System, and Physiotherapy Evidence Data-base (1985-2011), using, "ankle", "foot", "robotics", "orthotics" and "spinal cord injury" as most relevant keywords. Article inclusion was performed in 3 stages; at the level of: (i) title, (ii) abstract and (iii) full text.

Prosthetic feet: state-of-the-art review and the importance of mimicking human ankle-foot biomechanics.

Numerous prosthetic feet are currently on the market for individuals with a transtibial amputation, each device aimed at raising the 3C-level (control, comfort and cosmetics) with slightly different characteristics. In general, prosthetic feet can be classified into three categories. These are, following the time line: conventional feet (CF), energy-storing-and-returning (ESR) feet and the recent so-called 'bionic' feet.