MIT-Skywalker: Preliminary Insights on Performance-Based Locomotor Training

Gait rehabilitation promotes the reduction of gait deficits resulting from neurological pathologies by enhancing activity-dependent plasticity in the central nervous system. To maximize the therapeutic benefit of gait training, the key components appear to be subjects’ active participation and intensity. In this paper we discuss a performance-based training scheme for a novel gait trainer (MIT-Skywalker) that can challenge patients by systematically adjusting the treadmill speed and visual feedback. In our algorithm, the speed is adjusted based on gait performance of step length symmetry and subject’s ability to cope with the treadmill speed. Computer simulations demonstrate that the gait speed controller adapts to changes in walking performance, suggesting a potential scheme for gait therapy.