Application of robotic wear curara for intractable neurodegenerative diseases

• Project/Area Number: 15H03031
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Medical systems
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: Yoshida Kunihiro 信州大学, 医学部, 特任教授 (90242693)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中村 昭則 信州大学, 医学部, 特任教授 (10303471) ; 橋本 稔 信州大学, 学術研究院繊維学系, 特任教授 (60156297)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
• Budget Amount: ¥16,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥12,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,840,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥6,760,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,560,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000)
• Keywords: 歩行アシスト / 着脱型ロボット / 脳卒中 / 脊髄小脳変性症 / 同調制御法 / ロボット工学 / 脳神経疾患 / リハビリテーション / 医用ロボット / 神経難病 / harmonic ratio

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have been developing the robotic wear curara as a rehabilitation robot. Curara detects slight movement in the wearer’s hip and knee joints via a torque sensor (instead of a bioelectrical signal sensor) and achieves its harmonious assist with the wearer by a synchronization-based control. To verify the effect of curara assist, we conducted gait experiments on 15 hemiplegic patients with stroke and 12 patients with spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD). We tried several assist conditions with differences in gait cycle, amplitude of hip and knee joints, and synchronization gain in both diseases. In results, we found conditions which significantly improved the walking velocity, step length, and cadence and reduced step asymmetry in stroke patients. Moreover, we found conditions which increased the harmonic ratios in the anteroposterior, mediolateral, and vertical directions in SCD patients. We think that curara has the potential to improve gait performance in patients with stroke and SCD.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Effect of the synchronization-based control of a wearable robot having a non-exoskeletal structure on the hemiplegic gait of stroke patients. (2018)
  • Author(s): Mizukami N, Takeuchi S, Tetsuya M, Tsukahara A, Hashimoto M, Yoshida K, Matsushima A, Maruyama Y, Tako K.
  • Journal Title: IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng Volume: 26 Issue: 5 Pages: 1011-1016
  • DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2018.2817647
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Principal component analysis for ataxic gait using a triaxial accelerometer. (2017)
  • Author(s): Matsushima A, Yoshida K, Genno H, Ikeda S.
  • Journal Title: J NeuroEng Rehabili Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Pages: 37-37
  • DOI: 10.1186/s12984-017-0249-7
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Natural history of spinocerebellar ataxia type 31: a 4-year prospective study. (2017)
  • Author(s): Nakamura K, Yoshida K, Matsushima A, Shimizu Y, Sato S, Yahikozawa H, Ohara S, Yazawa m, Ushiyama M, Sato M, Morita H, Inoue A, Ikeda S.
  • Journal Title: The Cerebellum Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Pages: 518-524
  • DOI: 10.1007/s12311-016-0833-6
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] ロボティックウエアcuraraの実用化に向けた取り組み (2016)
  • Author(s): 吉田邦広、橋本稔
  • Journal Title: Medical Science Digest Volume: 42 Pages: 618-622
• [Journal Article] Clinical assessment of standing and gait in ataxic patients using a triaxial accelerometer. (2015)
  • Author(s): Matsushima A, Yoshida K, Genno H, Murata A, Matsuzawa S, Nakamura K, Nakamura A, Ikeda S.
  • Journal Title: Cerebellum Ataxias Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Pages: 9-9
  • DOI: 10.1186/s40673-015-0028-9
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Presentation] 脊髄小脳変性症：診療と研究のクロストーク. (2017)
  • Author(s): 吉田邦広
  • Organizer: 第13回阪神SCDセミナー
  • Place of Presentation: 尼崎（都ホテルニューアルカイック）
  • Year and Date: 2017-02-03
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Evaluation of walking smoothness using wearable robotic system curara® for spinocerebellar degeneration patients. (2017)
  • Author(s): Tsukahara A, Yoshida K, Matsushima A, Ajima K, Kuroda C, Mizukami N, Hashimoto M.
  • Organizer: 15th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics 2017 (ICORR2017)
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Gait analysis in SCA6 and SCA31 with a triaxial accelerometer. (2017)
  • Author(s): Matsushima A, Yoshida K, Genno H, Ikeda S.
  • Organizer: XXIII World Congress of Neurology
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 片麻痺患者のリハビリ訓練におけるロボティックウェアcurara®の同調制御法の効果. (2016)
  • Author(s): 水上憲明, 竹内志津江, 鉄矢美紀雄, 塚原淳, 橋本稔, 吉田邦広, 松嶋聡, 丸山陽一, 田幸健司.
  • Organizer: 第6回日本ロボットリハビリテーション・ケア研究会in HYOGO.
  • Place of Presentation: 神戸（兵庫県立総合リハビリテーションセンター）
  • Year and Date: 2016-11-12
• [Presentation] 3軸加速度計を用いた失調性歩行の定量的な解析と評価法への応用. (2016)
  • Author(s): 松嶋聡, 吉田邦広, 源野広和, 江澤直樹, 池田修一.
  • Organizer: 第34回日本神経治療学会総会
  • Place of Presentation: 米子（米子コンベンションセンターBiG SHiP, 米子市文化ホール）
  • Year and Date: 2016-11-03
• [Presentation] ロボティックウェアcuraraによる脊髄小脳変性症患者のための歩行支援. (2016)
  • Author(s): 所宏美、塚原淳, 吉田邦広, 松嶋聡, 中村勝哉, 橋本稔.
  • Organizer: 日本機械学会ロボティクス・メカトロニクス講演会2016
  • Place of Presentation: 横浜（パシフィコ横浜）.
  • Year and Date: 2016-06-08
• [Presentation] Measuring the severity of ataxia using a triaxial accelerometer. A new assessment method. (2016)
  • Author(s): Matsushima A, Yoshida K, Genno H, Matsuzawa S, Ikeda S.
  • Organizer: 第57回日本神経学会学術大会
  • Place of Presentation: 神戸（神戸国際会議場）
  • Year and Date: 2016-05-18
• [Presentation] ロホティックウェア curara による脊髄小脳変性症患者のための歩行支援 (2015)
  • Author(s): 所 宏美、塚原 淳、吉田邦広、松嶋 聡、中村勝哉、橋本 稔
  • Organizer: 日本機械学会 ロボティクス・メカトロニクス部門
  • Place of Presentation: パシフィコ横浜（神奈川県・横浜市）
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-08