Showing papers on "Stair climbing published in 1993"

Functional testing in the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee

Abstract: Functional testing of patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knees and normal subjects during stressful activities such as running to a cut and running to a stop and during activities common to daily life, such as walking, stair climbing, and jogging, is presented. Analysis focused on the application of these tests to treatment planning and clinical evaluation. Functional testing during stressful activities indicates that some patients with ACL-deficient knees have higher than normal net hamstring moments during the early phase of these activities. These results suggest dynamic muscular substitution using the hamstrings in patients with chronic ACL-deficient knees. Patients tested during less stressful activities, such as walking and stair climbing, also demonstrated substantial differences from ACL-intact subjects. The majority of patients tended to reduce the net quadriceps moment when the knee was near full extension. Approximately 75% of the patients who were ACL-deficient developed this type of adaptation, which appears to be a subconscious method of avoiding the net anterior pull of the quadriceps mechanism when the knee is near full extension. Functional testing of the ACL-deficient knee provides meaningful information that cannot be obtained by simpler clinical tests. This information can be extremely useful in the selection and evaluation of patients with certain treatment modalities, since it seems to be directly related to some patients' ability to functionally adapt to the loss of the ACL.

Stair stepping exercise apparatus

Abstract: An apparatus permitting a user to perform a simulated stair climbing exercise includes left and right foot platforms pivotally connected to a frame by respective unequal-length four-bar linkages. The linkages maintain the foot platforms generally perpendicular to the user's lower leg during the exercise as the foot platforms are alternately depressed by the user. An eddy current brake provides the desired resistance to the user's simulated stair climbing. A display with a touch-sensitive screen is mounted on the frame and allows the user to input information to a processor which controls the resistance of the eddy current brake and other functions. The display also includes an integral television tuner that allows the user to view either a simulated image of the user performing the stair climbing exercise or a standard television program on the display during the exercise.

Stair climbing aid

Abstract: A stairway climbing aid having a plurality of individual adjustable half-step members fixedly connected to a rigid elongated channel member at spaced locations along the length of the latter to comprise a rigid assembly. The channel member is connected to each of the half-step members adjacent the rear end of the latter and at an elevation and angle such that the channel member will extend upon or adjacent the outer edge of the tread of each step. The half-step members are longitudinally adjustable so that their length can equal the depth of the particular steps to which they are applied. Thus, any stairway can be readily modified to facilitate travel thereover by persons having difficulty in taking full steps, by applying such an assembly to the steps along one side of the stairway, after adjusting the individual half-steps to the depth of the treads.

Design and Control of Self-contained Hexapod Walking Robot for Stair-climbing

Abstract: A self-contained type hexapod walking robot was developed in Mechanical Engineering Laboratory. It is called MELCRAB-2. This hexapod has specific features both in the mechanical design and in the control way. This paper provides a few significant guideline to design the self-contained hexapod walking robot from the point of view about the stair climbability, turning mobility, efficient foot force delivering based on the two decoupled actuation ways, GDA (Gravitationally Decoupled Actuation) and MDA (Motion Decoupled Actuation) . An approximately straight line linkage is used in the leg mechanism of the MELCRAB-2 to satisfy both of GDA and MDA. The inverse kinematics of the approximately straight line linkage was solved for position control. Tactile sensors and proximity sensors are installed on the front side and back side of each foot to detect obstacles and walking environments. Control algorithm with many motion procedures to negotiate the stairs and walking environments was developed. MELCRAB-2 could climb up the experimental stairs with the same dimensions as the real buildings by using that algorithm. MELCRAB-2 is the real self-contained hexapod robot actuated by electric motors, and it can walk with the fast speed owing to GAD and MDA. compared with the past developed walking machines.

Stair climbing exercise apparatus

Abstract: An exercise apparatus, particularly useful for in-water use, comprises a frame having, at its front end, a pair of side by side inclined tracks. A pair of steps are mounted for movement along respective ones of the tracks. A seating member includes a horizontal seat secured to the frame by a mechanism allowing selective positioning of the seat in front of the steps, whereby a user can operate the steps while seated, or to one side of the steps, whereby the steps are accessible by a user for performing a conventional stair climbing exercise.

Improved stepper exercise machine

Abstract: An improved stair climbing exercise machine is provided The machine (10) biomechanically simulates climbing stairs to provide exercise for a user and broadly includes a support frame (12), right and left foot-receiving pedals (15), and a drive system The frame includes a base (20) and a generally tubular, inclined slide mast (32) The pedals are mounted on respective independently moveable shuttles slidably received in channels at each side of the mast The electrically released drive system is operably coupled to the pedals and includes a multiple pulley and strap arrangement

Stair-climbing system

Abstract: The stair-climbing system that is suitable, for example, for wheelchairs has two pairs of running wheels that can pivot about separate but commonly driven eccentric drive shafts and can thereby be landed on or taken off from a step. When this is done, braking systems associated with the individual running wheels can block the individual running wheels during their pivoting movement so as to prevent any accidental movement of the wheelchair over the edge of a step.