2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Study on footwear that facilitates gait and may make gait safe for the elderly
Project/Area Number |
25560290
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
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Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
Research Field |
Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
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Research Institution | Prefectural University of Hiroshima |
Principal Investigator |
HASEGAWA MASAKI 県立広島大学, 保健福祉学部, 准教授 (10382376)
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Project Period (FY) |
2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
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Keywords | 転倒予防 / 歩行 / 義肢 / インソール / 知覚入力 / 運動制御 / 運動学習 / 装具 |
Outline of Final Research Achievements |
We developed the “perceptual stimulus insole” (PSI) to facilitate gait through the use of projections inserted on the insole. The projections have the purpose of facilitating the loading position and course of the center of foot pressure movement, and thus the wearer can perceive the purpose of the facilitation naturally.The study showed that the effects lasted even after wearing the PSI, because the wearer can understand the details of the facilitation precisely. After investigating elderly people using the PSI during gait, the results showed that during the swing phase toe clearance and ankle dorsiflexion angle had improved and the prolongation of the step length was confirmed. Therefore, the use of the PSI to facilitate movement may prevent the accidental falls experienced by the elderly, and it may be used as a device for “learning movement” and “continuous walking improvement”.
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Free Research Field |
理学療法学
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