A Pilot Study on the Feasibility of Robot-Aided Leg Motor Training to Facilitate Active Participation

This study explores combining robot-assisted walking with a motor learning task to improve active participation during rehabilitation. The approach uses a robotic device called the Lokomat along with a visual task where participants match their foot trajectory to a target. The study involved neurologically intact adults and stroke survivors. They walked in the Lokomat while performing a foot target-tracking task that required greater hip and knee movement. The results showed that participants could improve their target-tracking performance with practice and that muscle activation was higher during the active robotic training compared to just walking in the robot, suggesting increased engagement.

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  Repeated practice of the motor-learning task resulted in significant reductions in target-tracking error in all subjects.
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  Muscle activation was also significantly higher during active robotic training compared to simply walking in the robot.
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  The data from stroke participants also showed a trend similar to neurologically intact participants.