Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a pneumatic actuator to assist Parkinson’s disease patients in daily life activities.

Background: Parkinson’s disease patients may face difficulty in transitioning from sitting to standing. We developed a wearable device that inflates around the waist to provide gentle support when needed.(figure1)

Method: Four community-dwelling Parkinson’s disease patients (Hoehn and Yahr stage 1–2) wore the device secured around the lower back, while performing 10 consecutive sitting to stand movements. They were instructed to stand upon feeling the device inflate. Motion capture was conducted without markers using a camera system. Skeletal estimation was performed, and parameters including joint angles were calculated. Muscle activity was measured for the abdomen, erector spinae, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings, tibialis anterior, shallow peroneal, and triceps femoris muscles. Data were time-normalized for 1 s before and after the moment when the buttocks lifted off the seat (a total of 2 s), using this event as the reference point.

Results: Muscle activity and joint moments changed by device application. Hip flexion-extension moments decreased 58%, from 0.60 Nm (left) and 0.70 Nm (right) without to 0.25 Nm and 0.35 Nm, with the device. Erector spinae activity decreased up to 17.7% with the device. Smoothness of muscle activity from sitting to standing was also improved by 16.3%. The rectus femoris and gluteus maximus showed a decreasing trend in activation, suggesting smoother muscle engagement.

Conclusion: Reduction in hip joint moments was likely due to improved coordination of muscle activity, enabling patients to stand up with less exertion. The device facilitated standing up by enabling muscle activation without excessive effort. Future research will explore its effectiveness for walking and other activities of daily living. By refining the device for greater efficiency, we aim to develop a tool that provides meaningful support with minimal obtrusion, ultimately enhancing the users’ quality of life.

figure1

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/effectiveness-of-light-touch-support-device-in-assisting-activities-of-daily-living-a-pilot-study/