Soft robotic exosuit aids Parkinson's for smoother walking

However, a beacon of hope for Parkinson's disease has emerged from the collaborative efforts of researchers at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Boston University's Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences.

In a new study published in Nature Medicine, these researchers detailed a soft, wearable robot designed to combat the scourge of gait freezing. Worn around the hips and thighs, this innovative robotic exosuit administers subtle yet significant nudges to the hips during leg swings, effectively elongating strides and preventing the sudden loss of movement.

"We found that just a small amount of mechanical assistance from our soft robotic apparel delivered instantaneous effects and consistently improved walking across a range of conditions for the individual in our study," stated Conor Walsh, the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at SEAS and co-corresponding author of the study.

The implications extend far beyond mere mobility. The device offers a lifeline, promising not only restored movement but also the reinstatement of independence for those battling the debilitating effects of Parkinson's disease.

Collaborating closely with Terry Ellis, Professor and Chair of the Physical Therapy Department and Director of the Center for Neurorehabilitation at Boston University, the research team dedicated six months to working with a 73-year-old Parkinson's patient.

Despite undergoing surgical and pharmacological treatments, this individual grappled with severe and incapacitating freezing episodes more than ten times a day, leading to frequent falls and reliance on a scooter for outdoor mobility.

Leveraging their prior research into assistive and rehabilitative robotic technologies, the team harnessed a "bottom-up" approach to address freezing. Their wearable device, utilizing cable-driven actuators and sensors, syncs with muscle movement, providing assistive forces based on gait phase estimation algorithms derived from motion data.

Transformative results from the program

The results were transformative. The patient walked indoors without any freezing, with occasional episodes outdoors, an unprecedented achievement considering the severity of their condition. Moreover, they could engage in conversation while walking—an improbable feat sans the device.

Jinsoo Kim, a former Ph.D. student at SEAS and co-lead author of the study, shared the patient's perspective, "The suit helps me take longer steps, and when it is not active, I notice I drag my feet much more. It has really helped me, and I feel it is a positive step forward."

Moreover, the device's potential extends beyond immediate relief. Its application could offer insights into the mechanics of gait freezing, a poorly understood phenomenon in Parkinson's disease. Ellis elucidated, "We see that restoring almost-normal biomechanics alters the peripheral dynamics of gait and may influence the central processing of gait control."