Article
Biophysics
Lydia G. Brough, Richard R. Neptune
Summary: Walking requires active control of balance in the frontal plane, and the contribution of various muscles to foot placement and balance control has been investigated. The study found that different muscles play a role in controlling foot placement following medial and lateral perturbations.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Shoval Sade, Hodaya Pickholz, Itshak Melzer, Amir Shapiro
Summary: This paper describes the development and building of the EPES system, which provides unexpected perturbations during elliptical walking to improve trunk and upper limbs balance reactive responses. The system uses a stationary Elliptical Exercise device and software that can identify and control the balance responses. Pilot results show successful identification of balance reactive responses among participants exposed to unexpected perturbations on the EPES system.
JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Ying Fang, Zachary F. Lerner
Summary: Slowing the decline in walking mobility in the elderly is crucial. This study investigated the effects of untethered ankle exoskeleton assistance on stability and balance strategies during walking in older adults. The findings suggest that ankle exoskeleton assistance does not impair stability and supports further research on assistive exoskeletons for walking in the elderly.
ANNALS OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Lydia G. Brough, Glenn K. Klute, Richard R. Neptune
Summary: This study investigates the biomechanical responses of individuals without mobility impairments to medial and lateral foot-placement perturbations during walking, aiming to assess their impact on dynamic balance.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Chang-Ha Im, Dae-Hyun Kim, Jung-Eun Yun, Jin-Hoon Park
Summary: This study found that patients with cerebellar disease are more likely to take multiple steps in response to postural perturbation, primarily due to their poor control of trunk motion. These findings can guide the development of tailored fall intervention strategies for patients with cerebellar disease.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Lore Metz, Terry Guirado, Kristine Beaulieu, Bruno Pereira, Carole Brun, Fabien Coutarel, Martine Duclos, David Thivel
Summary: Walking desks can reduce sedentary time during work without appetite compensation. The small reduction in energy balance with walking while working could have significant health benefits.
PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Bianca Te, Vicki Komisar, Olivia M. G. Aguiar, Nataliya Shishov, Stephen N. Robinovitch
Summary: Stepping is a common strategy for balance recovery during falls in older adults in long-term care. Steps are aligned with the direction of the fall and tend to be small in size. Factors such as sex, age, fall direction, activity at the time of falling, cause of imbalance, and holding or grasping objects influence the prevalence and characteristics of stepping responses.
Article
Orthopedics
Yunchao Zhu, Ji Huang, Xin Ma, Wen-Ming Chen
Summary: Background: Current studies have focused on the changes in the body's center of mass during treadmill walking, but the biomechanical responses to perturbations in overground walking conditions are not fully understood. Methods: In this study, a customized gait-perturbing device was used to impose lateral forces on the subject's pelvis during overground walking. The biomechanical responses of the hips were evaluated using subject-specific neuromusculoskeletal models driven by motion data. Results: Following perturbations, hip motions in different planes were altered, and there were changes in hip kinetics as well. Muscle coactivation index was also found to be significantly decreased during perturbed walking. Conclusion: The results of this study provide insights into the biomechanical responses of the hip to perturbations during overground walking and suggest potential mechanisms for joint control and foot placement. These findings have implications for the design of wearable robotic devices for balance assistance.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Lindsey K. Molina, Gabriella H. Small, Richard R. Neptune
Summary: Individuals with neuromuscular deficits often walk with wider step widths, which is associated with decreased balance control. This study found that wider steps are linked to reduced balance control during steady-state walking, but do not affect the balance response strategies following mediolateral surface perturbations in healthy adults.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Ashwini Sansare, Maelyn Arcodia, Samuel C. K. Lee, John Jeka, Hendrik Reimann
Summary: Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have deficits in processing somatosensory and proprioceptive information, resulting in a greater reliance on visual cues for walking balance control. They show magnified and delayed body sway in response to visual perturbations, a lack of ankle response, and a stronger foot placement response. This suggests a dominant proximal foot placement strategy and diminished ankle roll response in individuals with CP.
FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xiping Ren, Christoph Lutter, Maeruan Kebbach, Sven Bruhn, Qining Yang, Rainer Bader, Thomas Tischer
Summary: Patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have inadequate compensatory strategies in response to backward slip perturbations, resulting in decreased step length, gait speed, and vertical ground reaction forces. Insufficient joint angle flexion and extension and insufficient joint moment generation predispose patients with KOA to fall. Hip extension angle and flexion moment, knee range of motion, and vertical ground reaction forces are key monitoring variables.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Inbal Paran, Hadas Nachmani, Moti Salti, Ilan Shelef, Itshak Melzer
Summary: This study examines the effect of concurrent cognitive task on older adults' balance recovery stepping abilities from unannounced lateral perturbations while walking. The results show that cognitive load does not significantly affect balance recovery reactions in older adults, suggesting a posture first strategy. However, trade-offs between cognitive and postural performances were identified.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Shani Batcir, Yaakov Livne, Rotem Lev Lehman, Shmil Edelman, Lavi Schiller, Omri Lubovsky, Guy Shani, Amir Shapiro, Itshak Melzer
Summary: The study developed a mechatronic Perturbation Stationary Bicycle Robotic system for challenging balance reactions while sitting on a stationary bicycle, aiming to improve balance control in older individuals. The pilot randomized control trial showed significant improvements in balance and postural sway measures among older individuals who participated in the training.
Review
Neurosciences
Hyun Kyung Kim, Li-Shan Chou
Summary: This study reviewed literature on the differences in lower limb muscle activation during balance-perturbed walking between young and older adults. The results showed that older adults demonstrated different adaptations in lower limb muscle activation compared to young adults, with increased co-contraction of ankle and knee joint muscles. These findings suggest that coordination between muscles is important for providing necessary stabilization during balance-perturbed walking.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Zoe Taylor, Gregory S. Walsh, Hannah Hawkins, Mario Inacio, Patrick Esser
Summary: This systematic review examines the perturbation methods and outcome variables used to assess participant biomechanical responses during walking. The study finds that treadmill translation is the most frequently used balance perturbation method, and the most commonly collected outcome variables are step width and step length. The wide variety of laboratory perturbation methods and the significant impact of perturbation type on study outcomes are highlighted.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Shirley Handelzalts, Flavia Steinberg-Henn, Nachum Soroker, Guy Shani, Itshak Melzer
Summary: The study found that individuals with stroke demonstrate delayed upper-extremity movement initiation compared to healthy controls, especially when losing balance toward the paretic side. This delay may increase the risk of falls towards the paretic side in stroke survivors.
CLINICAL BIOMECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Shani Batcir, Yaakov Livne, Rotem Lev Lehman, Shmil Edelman, Lavi Schiller, Omri Lubovsky, Guy Shani, Amir Shapiro, Itshak Melzer
Summary: The study developed a mechatronic Perturbation Stationary Bicycle Robotic system for challenging balance reactions while sitting on a stationary bicycle, aiming to improve balance control in older individuals. The pilot randomized control trial showed significant improvements in balance and postural sway measures among older individuals who participated in the training.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Shani Batcir, Omri Lubovsky, Yaacov G. Bachner, Itshak Melzer
Summary: This study aims to investigate a new perturbation-based balance training program, which provides perturbations during hands-free bicycling in a sitting position to improve reactive balance responses among pre-frail older adults, and assess if this can transfer to reduce fall risks and enhance balance function.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Hadas Nachmani, Inbal Paran, Moti Salti, Ilan Shelef, Itshak Melzer
Summary: This study aims to investigate the effect of practice schedule on reactive balance function in older adults and compare the effectiveness of random PBBT and block PBBT in improving balance control. The research will assess the transfer of learning effects and measure factors such as fall risk, balance abilities, and fear of falling to address key issues in balance retraining for older adults.
FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tomer Fine, Guy Zaidner, Amir Shapiro
Summary: The involvement of Robots and automated machines in various industries has significantly increased in recent years. Tele-operated systems can replace human operators in hazardous or difficult environments, with the capability of grasping objects in their surroundings. The goal is to create an assisting algorithm that computes optimal grasps for integration into a state-of-the-art tele-operated system.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Uri Rosenblum, Itshak Melzer, Gabi Zeilig, Meir Plotnik
Summary: This study investigated balance recovery responses in different phases of the gait cycle (single-support and double-support) and analyzed lower-limb muscle activation patterns and muscle fiber type recruitment. The results showed a significant increase in the total spectral power of lower-extremity muscles during the first three seconds after perturbation. There was also a different muscle fiber type recruitment pattern between the VL and TA muscles during the double-support phase. These findings are important for understanding the mechanisms of balance recovery responses.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Shani Batcir, Guy Shani, Amir Shapiro, Itshak Melzer
Summary: Kinematic patterns and strategies of balance recovery differ between low and high perturbation magnitudes in older adults. At low magnitudes, older adults activate pre-planned programs based on the perturbation magnitude, while at high magnitudes, they exhibit more rigid, automatic behavior and adjust extra steps according to the perturbation magnitude.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Inbal Paran, Hadas Nachmani, Moti Salti, Ilan Shelef, Itshak Melzer
Summary: This study examines the effect of concurrent cognitive task on older adults' balance recovery stepping abilities from unannounced lateral perturbations while walking. The results show that cognitive load does not significantly affect balance recovery reactions in older adults, suggesting a posture first strategy. However, trade-offs between cognitive and postural performances were identified.
Article
Robotics
Gal Levi, Yoav Golan, Amir Shapiro
Summary: The SIMJig is a new concept for a fixturing device that automatically adapts its structure to fix a given workpiece. It achieves reconfigurability through unique clamp and gear design, and offers increased stability and accuracy in the manufacturing process.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Ellen Freiberger, Paolo Fabbietti, Andrea Corsonello, Fabrizia Lattanzio, Rada Artzi-Medvedik, Robert Kob, Itshak Melzer, Sabine Britting
Summary: This study aims to explore the characteristics of fear of falling (FoF) among older adults, identify clinical predictors for persistent or transient FoF, and compare the differences between persistent and transient FoF. The results indicate that risk factors such as female gender, osteoporosis, depression, living alone, impaired physical performance, BMI, and comorbidity are significantly associated with persistent or transient FoF among older fallers.
Article
Robotics
Yoad Guetta, Amir Shapiro
Summary: This paper introduces a new onboard system for drones that physically replaces batteries during flight, allowing them to remain in the air indefinitely. The system uses a unique design and mechanism to hot-swap batteries and maintain continuous power supply.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Shani Batcir, Itshak Melzer
Summary: We compared older adults who regularly cycle outdoors with those who do not cycle to examine their reactive balance control. The cyclist group showed higher stepping threshold, lower probability of stepping, and fewer trials in which a step was needed to retain balance at each perturbation magnitude. They also used unloaded leg strategies in the first recovery step and had faster swing phase duration, better controlling center of mass displacement compared to noncyclists. Regular outdoor cycling in older adults helps preserve reactive balance functions and reduces fall risks.
JOURNAL OF AGING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Dror A. Levy, Amir Shapiro
Summary: In this paper, a full analytical model and a simple system identification method for piezoelectric actuators were developed. The model was derived separately for each unit of the system and their coupling was taken into account. The experimental results verified the theoretical model. The main advantage of this work is to provide a solid background and domain knowledge for further investigations in the field of piezoelectric actuators.
Article
Neurosciences
Nama Mizrachi, Simona Bar-Haim, Iuly Treger, Itshak Melzer
Summary: Persons with chronic stroke have difficulty walking independently. This study compared the motor adaptation process between split-belt treadmill walking and unilaterally applied resistance to the swing leg during walking. The results showed that patients were able to adapt to both perturbation methods and the rate of adaptation and de-adaptation were similar.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Osher Azulay, Amir Shapiro
Summary: This article introduces a deep reinforcement learning-based controller for an unmanned ground vehicle to autonomously perform earth scooping cycles. The controller is trained in a virtual physics engine environment, achieving a 65% bucket fill and 5-second cycle time on average. Experimental results show that the controller performs well visually in simulations and real-world experiments with different inclination angles, making it suitable for excavation tasks.