Honda Walking Assist Device for the elderly and public with weakened leg muscles
Honda will showcase an experimental model of a walking assist device which could support walking for the elderly and other humans with weakened leg muscles, at the universal Trade Fair on Barrier Free Equipments & Rehabilitation for the Elderly & the Disabled (BARRIER FREE 2008) which will be held at Intex Osaka, Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27, 2008. The cooperative control technology utilized for Honda walking assist device is a strange Honda innovation achieved through the cumulative study of human walking just as the research and development of technologies was conducted for Honda’s advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO.
Press release after the jump
The compact design of the device was achieved with flat brushless motors and a control system developed by Honda. Honda began research of a walking assist device in 1999 with a goal to supply more public with the joy of mobility. Currently, the device has entered into the feasibility stage. Honda is planning to offer interested attendees an opportunity to wear and experience that walking assist device at the Honda booth at BARRIER FREE 2008.
TOKYO, Japan, April 22, 2008– Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will showcase an experimental model of a walking assist device which could support walking for the elderly and other folks with weakened leg muscles(*), at the universal Trade Fair on Barrier Free Equipments & Rehabilitation for the Elderly & the Disabled (BARRIER FREE 2008) which will be held at Intex Osaka, Friday,
Honda began research of a walking assist device in 1999 with a goal to supply more society with the joy of mobility. Currently, the device has entered into the feasibility stage.
The cooperative control technology utilized for that device is a different Honda innovation achieved through the cumulative study of human walking just as the research and development of technologies was conducted for Honda’s advanced humanoid robot, ASIMO. Applying cooperative control based on the knowledge obtained from hip angle sensors, the motors supply optimal assistance based on a command from the control CPU. With that assist, the user’s stride will be lengthened compared to the user’s normal stride without the device and therefore the ease of walking is achieved.
The compact design of the device was achieved with flat brushless motors and a control system developed by Honda. In addition, a simple design to be worn with a belt around the hip and thigh was employed to help achieve overall weight as light as approximately 2.8kg. As a outcome, the device reduces the user’s load and can be fit to different body shapes.
The research of that device is being conducted by the Fundamental Technology Research Center of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. in Wako, Saitama.
Honda is planning to offer interested attendees an opportunity to wear
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