Novel Walking Assist Device Based on Mobile Manipulator and Inertial Measurement Unit

Abstract

This paper presents a method for walking assist control that uses an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor fixed to an elderly person's foot to estimate his or her walking motion. In the proposed approach, a mobile device is synchronously driven by the user's walking motion. Furthermore, a manipulator mounted on the mobile device can support and help the user walk. These functions make it possible for the device to move beside the user and coordinate with his or her steps. The validity of the proposed approach was confirmed through several experiments.