Design of a novel assist interface where toddlers walk with a mobile robot supported at the waist

Mobility is a key factor in a child's early development. Children with mobility impairments, such as with cerebral palsy, spina bifida or Down syndrome have delayed independent mobility due to weak muscles and/or poor coordination. As a result, these children have considerably less chance to move independently compared with typically developing children of the same age. Lack of such independent mobility may result in delays in motor, social, emotional, perceptual, cognitive, and language skills. Although independent mobility can be provided by powered mobility devices, it does little to encourage development of motor functions required for gait. This paper details the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a novel mobility interface for a child to explore the environment when placed in a harness attached to the waist. Toddlers can maneuver the robotic walker through an interface that utilizes sensors to detect the translational and rotational motion of their body. We expect that toddlers will drive the walker by using their body motions. Feasibility of the system is demonstrated in this paper using experiment data from five typically developing toddlers. Further studies will demonstrate how special needs children will be trained to drive this walker and how such self-generated locomotion can benefit their long-term development.