Postural control is the ability to maintain the body's centre of mass over the base of support during quiet standing and movement. It is a perceptual-motor process that includes the sensation of position and motion form the visual, somatosensory and vestibular systems, the processing of the sensory information to determine orientation and movement, and the selection of motor responses that maintains or brings the body into equilibrium.
The purpose of this study was to develop a smart walker of the rehabilitation training for postural control for the adult Hemiplegia. This walker consisted of a walking assistant, pressure measurement device, obstruction detection device, data acquisition device, data display device (monitor), and a mini personal computer. Through the pressure sensors that were installed on the handle of the walking assistant, the force of the handles was measured and displayed on the monitor. Through the visual feedback of the force, the subjects could adjust the support weight on the walker and the support weight of the two feet. Accordingly the gait pattern could be corrected through the control of the balance of body weight of the two lower limbs. Thereby, the rehabilitation training of postural control and gait could be well performed for the hemiplegic patients than the other systems.