FURI | Fall 2018

Assistive Walking Device for Gait Disorder Patients

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This objective of this project is to create a device that will assist those with a gait disorder, specifically one of the ankles. The device must be strong enough and quick enough to provide the user with enough force to lift their heel off the ground. The device will replace traditional non-active devices, such as an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), as it will not only allow the user to walk without dragging their foot but improve their gait as well. Future work includes reducing the size and weight of the device as well as testing effectiveness on gait disorder patients.

Student researcher

Marcus Schaller

Engineering (robotics)

Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona

Graduation date: Spring 2019