• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.585-592
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• 2008

The aging society comes, the number of the old people expended. Technical aids allow elderly and handicapped people to live independently in their private homes as long as they wish. As a contribution to these required technological solutions, a demonstrator platform for a walking assistance robot. robot which has the capability to perform fetch and carry and various other supporting tasks. In this study, we addresses the development of a walking assistance robot system. We execute static analysis, vibration analysis and flexible dynamics to reserve stability at the design. Each motion of the robot uses a linear actuator and gears. Motion can be distinguished into 3 parts depending on the up & down, rotation, and cushion trans. In each motion, we compare the displacement of the case to be rigid with the case to be flexible. As a result, manufactured and feasibility of the walking assistance robot is validated through preliminary experiments.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.93-104
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• 2021

A coastal ferries, which serve as a mode between mainland and offshore islands, are frequently used by islanders and travelers visiting islands. Therefore, it is located in a place with good accessibility to the downtown so that users can use it conveniently. However, research on the built environment and walking environment of coastal ferry terminals has not been conducted to ensure that elderly islanders and general travelers can use comfortably the coastal ferry terminal. In this study, with a focus on the coastal ferry terminal space, the walking section was set as 1)the accessibility of the coastal ferry terminal, 2)the built environment for using the coastal ferry terminal, and 3)walking environment in the ferry boarding and disembarkation at the coastal ferry terminal, and 4, 5)walking environment in the ferry. An evaluation tool was developed to measure the walking environment for each walking section, and the importance and satisfaction of users were analyzed using the IPA for the Yeosu Coastal Ferry Terminal. As a result, in the process of approaching the ferry terminal, 'convenience of using public transportation by foot' and 'convenience of using signposts guiding the location and direction of the ferry terminal' were investigated as concentrated areas. On the other hand, the built environment inside the ferry terminal and the walking environment showed that the satisfaction of the users was high. Regarding the walking environment from the ferry terminal to the ferry, the 'surface walking environment of the walking path', 'convenience of walking with luggage', 'convenience of walking in the slope section', and 'convenience of walking in the ferry ramp section' showed low satisfaction. This study can be used as basic data for improving the facilities and walking environment of Yeosu Coastal Ferry Terminal and is expected to be used as data for comparative research with other coastal ferry terminals.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.613-619
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• 2013

This study compares the gait characteristics of elderly women during barefoot walking and walking with sneakers. We measured foot angles, max foot pressure, peak plantar pressure of each plantar region, velocity of Center of Pressure(COP), and axis shifting of COP with an RS-scan system. Elderly women's foot angles were narrower when walking with sneakers than when barefoot walking. We found that the subtalar joint angle (representing ankle joint flexibility) affected walking stability. Regarding the peak plantar pressure of each foot region, pressures were high in the medial regions and the pressures greatly varied depending on the region measured during barefoot walking. The COP moved significantly faster when walking with sneakers than barefoot walking and suggests that elderly women walked faster in sneakers. Axis shifting of the COP decreased during walking with sneakers and indicated that gait balance improved when walking with sneakers. The findings of the present study can be utilized as foundational data for elderly women's gait characteristics as well as data for the production of functional footwear. Future research that focuses on various types of shoes, age groups, and gender are recommended for the development of more functional footwear for stable gaits.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.spc1
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• pp.371-376
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• 2005

Relative contributions of lower extremity joints on the support moment were investigated in this study. Three-dimensional gait analyses were performed in normal walking and in unexpected step-down walking. For both gait studies, inverse dynamics were performed to obtain each joint moment of the lower extremity, which was applied to the forward dynamics simulation to determine the contributions on the support moment at different phases of walking. The forward dynamic simulation results showed that, in normal walking, the ankle plantar flexors contributed significantly during single-limb-support. However, the ankle plantar flexors, knee extensors and hip extensors worked together during double-limb-support. In unexpected step-down walking, the important contributors on the support of the body during single-limb-support were not only ankle plantar flexors but also knee extensors. This study, analyzing the relative contributions of the lower limb joint moments for the body support, would be helpful to understand different unexpected walking conditions and compensatory mechanisms for various pathological gaits.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers P
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2010

This paper presents an intelligent learning controller for repetitive walking motion of biped walking robot. The proposed learning controller consists of an iterative learning controller and a direct learning controller. In the iterative learning controller, the PID feedback controller takes part in stabilizing the learning control system while the feedforward learning controller plays a role in compensating for the nonlinearity of uncertain biped walking robot. In the direct learning controller, the desired learning input for new joint trajectories with different time scales from the learned ones is generated directly based on the previous learned input profiles obtained from the iterative learning process. The effectiveness and tracking performance of the proposed learning controller to biped robotic motion is shown by mathematical analysis and computer simulation with 12 DOF biped walking robot.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.1026-1032
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• 2003

A biped walking robot which is developed as a platform for researching walking algorithm is briefly introduced. The developed walking robot has 6 degrees of freedom per one leg. The origins of the last three axis do not intersect at a point, so the kinematic analysis is cubmersome with the conventional method. In the former version of the robot, Jacobian-based inverse kinematics method is used. However, the Jacobian-based inverse kinematics method has drawbacks for the application in which knee is fully extended such as stair-case walking. The reason far that is the Jacobian becomes ill-conditioned near the singular points and the method is not able to give adequate solutions. So, a method for giving a closed-form inverse kinematics solution is proposed. The proposed method is based on careful consideration of the kinematic structure of the biped walking robot.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.71 no.3
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• pp.245-255
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• 2019

In this paper, an inverted-pendulum model consisting of a point supported by spring limbs with roller feet is adopted to simulate human walking load. To establish the kinematic motion of first and second single and double support phases, the Lagrangian variation method was used. Given a set of model parameters, desired walking speed and initial states, the Newmark-${\beta}$ method was used to solve the above kinematic motion for studying the effects of roller radius, stiffness, impact angle, walking speed, and step length on the ground reaction force, energy transfer, and height of center of mass transfer. The numerical simulation results show that the inverted-pendulum model for walking is conservative as there is no change in total energy and the duration time of double support phase is 50-70% of total time. Based on the numerical analysis, a dynamic load factor ${\alpha}_{wi}$ is proposed for the traditional walking load model.

• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.139-147
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• 2023

Background and Purpose: Dual walking task such as crossing over an obstacle may serve as an excellent tool for predicting early cognitive decline. Thus, this study aimed to investigate correlation between walking while crossing over an obstacle and executive functions under different gait phases to validate the use of walking with an obstacle for predicting early cognitive decline. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 48 elderly individuals from 2 day-care centers and 3 welfare-centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi, Korea. Executive function tests (Trail Making Test, Stroop test) and dual walking tests (gait speed, cadence, stance time, gait cycle time) were performed and compared using partial correlation analysis. Results: There were significant correlations between executive function and most of the gait variables (stance time, cadence, and gait cycle time) (p<0.05) when crossing over an obstacle while walking. Especially, stance time exhibited significant correlations with most executive functions (p<0.05). Conclusions: When evaluating executive function during walking with an obstacle, post-obstacle-crossing phase and stance time need to be observed.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.1352-1358
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• 2006

Purpose. The purpose of this study were to investigate the effects of a 12-week brisk walking program on triglycerides (TG) and apolipoprotein B (Apo B) and to compare these effects to those of a brisk walking plus diet program in middle-aged overweight/obese ($BMI{\geq}23$) Korean women with hypertriglyceridemia. Method. This analysis was done with nineteen middle-aged overweight/obese Korean women who completed either the brisk walking program (9 women) or the brisk walking plus diet program (10 women) for 12 weeks. The brisk walking consisted of walking for 20 to 50 minutes/day at an intensity of 40 to 70% of heart rate reserve (HRR) for 3 to 6 days/week. The diet consisted of 60 minutes of group education and 20 to 30 minutes of individual counseling every week. TG and Apo B were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Results. TG and Apo B decreased significantly after the brisk walking program (Z = -2.31, p = 0.021; Z = -2.59, p = 0.009). TG and Apo B lowering effects of the brisk walking program were not significantly different from those of the brisk walking plus diet program (U = 37.0, P = 0.549; U = 42.0, P = 0.842). Conclusion. Brisk walking can be an effective intervention for overweight/obese middle-aged women with hypertriglyceridemia in reducing cardiovascular risk by lowering TG and Apo B levels. Adding diet to brisk walking may have no additional significant effects on changes in TG and Apo B.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.119-130
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• 2019

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the meta-analysis on the effects of action observation training on stroke patients' walking. Methods : Domestic databases (DBpia, KISS, NDSL, and RISS) were searched for studies that conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) associated with action observation training in adults after stroke. The search outcomes were items associated with the walking function. The 18 studies that were included in the study were analyzed using R meta-analysis. A random-effect model was used for the analysis of the effect size because of the significant heterogeneity among the studies. Sub-group and meta-regression analysis were also used. Egger's regression test was conducted to analyze the publishing bias. Cumulative meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis were also done to analyze a data error. Results : The mean effect size was 2.77. The sub-group analysis showed a statistical difference in the number of training sessions per week. No statistically significant difference was found in the meta-regression analysis. Publishing bias was found in the data, but the results of the trim-and-fill method showed that such bias did not affect the obtained data. Also, the cumulative meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis showed no data errors. Conclusion : The meta-analysis of the studies that conducted randomized clinical trials revealed that action observation training effectively improved walking of the chronic stroke patients.