This study investigates the development of a robotic walker for gait rehabilitation that integrates social assistive robotics and principles of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS), a form of music therapy. The robotic system is intended to supplement, rather than replace, the work of professional music therapists by enabling therapeutic interventions to continue outside of therapy sessions. Robot-facilitated Music Therapy is an evolutionary step of telerehabilitation, providing patients with greater autonomy while still benefiting from the expertise and guidance of therapists. Contributions of the research include 1) Robot-facilitated Music Therapy through a robotic walker as a platform for gait rehabilitation. 2) Remote Music Therapy through a robotic walker as a telerehabilitation platform for music therapists to remotely monitor and consult with patients. 3) Intelligent companionship integrated with a robotic walker for comprehensive user assistance. The proposed system, tested for its functionalities including personified RAS, social interaction, user monitoring, mobility control, and emergency response yielded promising results for real-world application.

Robotic walkers have emerged as an innovative technology in the field of assistive devices, offering enhanced mobility and independence to individuals with physical limitations. In this paper, an intelligent control system for a robotic walker designed to actively guide users using cost-effective force-sensitive resistors has been proposed. The control interface provides a responsive and intuitive user experience. To achieve the desired smoothness and sensitivity of control, a rule-based Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) is implemented. A key safety feature of the walker is its obstacle avoidance system which utilizes haptic feedback to alert users of obstacles in their path. The haptic feedback interface has been developed to indicate both the direction and the proximity of any detected obstacles. The system was tested in a controlled environment with three healthy subjects. and the results demonstrated a satisfactory level of convergence between the user’s intended path and the actual path taken by the walker. The haptic feedback system received predominantly positive responses, although some areas for improvement were identified. Future work will focus on enhancing the system’s adaptivity to accommodate different pathological conditions.

This study investigates the development of a robotic walker for gait rehabilitation that integrates social assistive robotics and principles of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS), a form of music therapy. The robotic system is intended to supplement, rather than replace, the work of professional music therapists by enabling therapeutic interventions to continue outside of therapy sessions. Robot-facilitated Music Therapy is an evolutionary step of telerehabilitation, providing patients with greater autonomy while still benefiting from the expertise and guidance of therapists. Contributions of the research include 1) Robot-facilitated Music Therapy through a robotic walker as a platform for gait rehabilitation. 2) Remote Music Therapy through a robotic walker as a telerehabilitation platform for music therapists to remotely monitor and consult with patients. 3) Intelligent companionship integrated with a robotic walker for comprehensive user assistance. The proposed system, tested for its functionalities including personified RAS, social interaction, user monitoring, mobility control, and emergency response yielded promising results for real-world application.

This study investigates the development of a robotic walker for gait rehabilitation that integrates social assistive robotics and principles of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS), a form of music therapy. The robotic system is intended to supplement, rather than replace, the work of professional music therapists by enabling therapeutic interventions to continue outside of therapy sessions. Robot-facilitated Music Therapy is an evolutionary step of telerehabilitation, providing patients with greater autonomy while still benefiting from the expertise and guidance of therapists. Contributions of the research include 1) Robot-facilitated Music Therapy through a robotic walker as a platform for gait rehabilitation. 2) Remote Music Therapy through a robotic walker as a telerehabilitation platform for music therapists to remotely monitor and consult with patients. 3) Intelligent companionship integrated with a robotic walker for comprehensive user assistance. The proposed system, tested for its functionalities including personified RAS, social interaction, user monitoring, mobility control, and emergency response yielded promising results for real-world application.