Robot-assisted Gait Rehabilitation using the VST

We have proposed a unique rehabilitation system that enhances post-stroke gait recovery by employing the Variable Stiffness Treadmill (VST). The VST allows for controlled alterations in surface stiffness, which helps simulate different walking environments. In particular, this system is designed to deliver unilateral stiffness perturbations to the treadmill platform, evoking motor responses in the impaired leg, beneficial for improving step length and reducing the drop-foot effect commonly observed in hemiparetic patients.

Scientific contributions of this project include demonstrating that the VST can evoke lasting aftereffects useful for rehabilitation. These robot-assisted stiffness perturbations have been shown to enhance rehabilitation outcomes by influencing neural pathways and improving leg coordination after stroke. Furthermore, the system’s ability to dynamically adjust stiffness levels offers novel insights into tailoring rehabilitation exercises based on individual needs, ultimately making gait training more effective. This innovative approach shows significant promise in both improving mobility for post-stroke patients and expanding the understanding of gait rehabilitation through targeted mechanical interventions.

Work has been supported by the following grants: NSF 2020009, 2015786, 2025797, 201890, 2415093 and NIH 1R01HD111071-01.

Three Representative Papers (see Publications for a complete list)

Vaughn Chambers, Bradley Hobbs, William Gaither, Zachary The, Anthony Zhou, Chrysostomos Karakasis, Panagiotis Artemiadis, “The Variable Stiffness Treadmill (VST) 2: Development and Validation of a Unique Tool to Investigate Locomotion on Compliant Terrain,” in J. Mechanisms Robotics, August 2024., doi: 10.1115/1.4066173. [link to pdf]​

Vaughn Chambers and Panagiotis Artemiadis, “Using robot-assisted stiffness perturbations to evoke aftereffects useful to post-stroke gait rehabilitation,” in Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 9, 2023. [link to pdf]

Jeffrey Skidmore, Andrew Barkan and Panagiotis Artemiadis, “Variable Stiffness Treadmill (VST): System Development, Characterization and Preliminary Experiments,” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 20, issue 4, pp. 1717-1724, 2015. [pdf]