Method and apparatus for providing economical, portable deficit-adjusted adaptive assistance during movement phases of an impaired ankle

An apparatus comprising:

• a variable torque motor configured to be connected to an exo-skeletal ankle robot comprising a pair of beams connected to a pivot, the pair of beams configured to be coupled to, respectively, a first limb and a second limb of a subject separated by an ankle of the subject and wherein the variable torque motor is configured to impart a robot applied torque about the pivot in only a first plane;
• at least one processor with a sensor input configured to receive first data from at least one first sensor during a plurality of movement phases of a gait cycle;
• at least one memory including one or more sequence of instructions;
• the at least one memory and the one or more sequence of instructions configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;
• determine a deficit parameter for each movement phase based on a respective robot state parameter of the exo-skeletal ankle robot of a normal subject and of an impaired subject;
• determine an adaptive timing for the robot applied torque based on a current movement phase based on current first data of the at least one first sensor;
• and
• determine an adaptive magnitude for the robot-applied torque based on the deficit parameter for the current movement phase;
• wherein
• the variable torque motor is in communication with the at least one memory to receive the adaptive magnitude and the adaptive timing and is configured to impart the robot applied torque at the adaptive magnitude in only the first plane to the pivot during the current movement phase based on the adaptive timing, wherein the variable torque motor is configured to impart the robot applied torque over the plurality of movement phases, wherein the torque is imparted in the same, first plane over the plurality of movement phases of the gait cycle;
• and
• the apparatus is portable such that the apparatus is configured to be carried by the subject.