GentleGait: Multiplanar Exoskeleton for Enhanced Elderly Stability

Falls are a major public health and economic challenge, particularly among the elderly. Existing robotic exoskeletons provide some balance support but mainly target sagittal (forward/backward) motion, neglecting mediolateral (sideways) instability, which are a critical predictor of hip fractures. Project GentleGait addresses this gap by developing a novel, fully actuated 2-DoF ankle exoskeleton that integrates sagittal and mediolateral assistance. The research pursues three objectives: 1. Mechanical design – Create a lightweight, userfriendly system delivering >60 Nm sagittal and >20 Nm mediolateral torque; 2. Control system – Develop and characterize a 1 kHz low-latency controller (<100 ms) enabling real-time modulation of assistive forces and measurable shifts in lateral Center of Pressure (COP); 3. Pilot study – Quantify impacts on gait stability, energy expenditure, and user acceptance in elderly participants, assessing reductions in mediolateral Center of Mass (CoM) excursion and step length variability, which are established indicators of fall risk. The system combines a cable-driven parallel kinematic frame for high torque with EtherCAT communication for fast, reliable control. By targeting mediolateral stability, GentleGait directly contributes to EU4Health priorities and the WHO Decade of Healthy Ageing, offering a promising technological pathway to reduce fall risk and support healthy ageing.

Funded by the European Union