Researchers develop robotic wearable device to improve walking for individual with Parkinson’s disease

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Boston University Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences recognised that freezing is one of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

The freezing symptom means individuals with Parkinson’s suddenly lose the ability to move their feet, often mid-stride, resulting in a series of staccato stutter steps that get shorter until, researchers said, the person stops altogether.

Researchers said the symptom is currently treated with a range of pharmacological, surgical or behavioural therapies, none of which are particularly effective.

This researchers developed a robotic garment, worn around the hips and thighs, that gives a gentle push to the hips of the individual as their leg swings, helping the patient achieve a longer stride.

The team spent six months working with a 73-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease, who — despite using both surgical and pharmacologic treatments — endured substantial and incapacitating freezing episodes over 10 times a day, causing him to fall frequently.