Design and Control of a Mechatronic System to Apply Gait Synchronized Warnings and Perturbations to Runners

A mechatronic system is designed to track a runner on a treadmill and interact with them through precisely applied forces and warnings synchronized with their gait. Design, analysis, and control of a parallel wire robot is presented to apply forces in the horizontal plane of the runner to simulate the user being impacted during sports. Workspace analysis demonstrates attainable impact forces and resulting regions where the user must be located to produce omnidirectional impacts. Vibration analysis determines tether preloads that are required to minimize the effects of perturbations introduced by the runner’s motion. Predictive gait tracking algorithms and system control are designed to provide consistent impacts and warnings that are synchronized with the runner’s gait. Performance is validated to provide omni-directional forcing and interaction timed with the runner’s gait cycle. System automation is presented for applying randomized warnings and perturbations during running. A pilot study demonstrates the efficacy of the system to help runners use warnings to prepare for simulated impacts.