Development of a walking support machine with a lift device controlled by a servo brake

This paper presents a passive-type walking support machine equipped with a lift device which provides a patient with partial body weight support and prevents the patient from falling down. This walking support machine is intrinsically safe, because this machine consists of only passive components with no active actuators. The lift device has a constant force spring and a powder brake. The constant force spring is used in order to provide the patient with partial body weight support. The powder brake, which can control the torque, is used in order to prevent patient's falling. Furthermore, we propose a brake control method to prevent patient's falling. Finally, we discuss the effectiveness of the machine from experimental results.