麻豆传媒

Studying how people recover from injuries that affect balance, strength or movement — or all three — is much safer when subjects don’t fall while they’re being studied. That’s the endgame of a new piece of equipment in the School of Public Health and Health Professions’ Gait Analysis Lab.

The new robotic ZeroG Gait and Balance System prevents falls by supporting a person’s body and maintaining a steady level of body support regardless of how the person moves. The system’s most noticeable feature looks somewhat like a bouncing baby swing for adults — only incredibly sophisticated.

“People with balance difficulties during walking, such as those with neurological conditions, typically require a spotter to guard them for safety and fall prevention,” explains Sue Ann Sisto, professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Science. “Having the state-of-the-art overhead body-weight support system allows us to collect 3D-motion capture data from surrounding cameras without blocking camera views of body markers by a guarding person, while still providing a safety harness used in case of loss of balance.”

Sisto directs the Gait Analysis Lab, which explores the movement of people with impaired motor functions like walking, standing from a sitting position and reaching. Cameras and sensors detect muscle activation and reveal how the body moves through space, data that is stored and analyzed by researchers to develop and improve therapeutic techniques.

Wenyao Xu, professor and associate chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, notes another key benefit of the new equipment.

“Leveraging existing rehabilitation research facilities at UB, the ZeroG equipment will significantly advance research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and rehabilitation, deepening scientific understanding and broadening the practical applications of these technologies to improve patient outcomes.”