Walk

When someone has suffered a stroke, they may have difficulty regaining a proper walking gait. An experimental new device could help, though, by springing up their heel with each step.

In the advanced stages of Parkinson's disease, some people develop a condition known as "gait freeze," in which they temporarily lose the ability to step forward. NexStride is designed to help, though, by giving them a laser target for their feet.

Although robotic prosthetic legs do have some advantages over their conventional counterparts, they also have some drawbacks that keep them from entering wider use. A new prototype prosthesis, however, addresses some of those shortcomings.

It was seven years ago that we first heard about Harvard University's HAMR cockroach-inspired robot. Although the bot was already on the tiny side, its designers have now created a version that's just half its size – it's time to meet HAMR-JR.

One of the main proposed uses for legged robots is the exploration of disaster sites. In order to walk across all that rubble, though, they would definitely need to be sure-footed – which is where new coffee-filled robot feet are designed to come in.

If the Jurassic Park movies are to be believed, Tyrannosaurus rex spent a lot of time quickly chasing down its prey. According to a new study, though, its legs were probably designed more for endurance than for speed.

Six years ago, we first heard about tiny two-legged "bio-bots" that used spinal muscle tissue to walk. Well, they've now received a big upgrade, in the form of spinal cord tissue that essentially makes them self-powered.

Insects rapidly transition between walking gaits, in response to external stimuli. Scientists have now created a robot that does the same thing, utilizing an artificial neural network – the tech might ultimately find use in better prostheses.

While some powered exoskeletons give able-bodied users "superstrength," others are designed simply to let physically-challenged people move about normally. A new version of the latter is said to be much lighter and more user-responsive than others on the market.

Gait speed, or the pace at which a person walks, has been effectively used as a biomarker for health in older subjects. A new study is now suggesting that gait speed may be an effective measure of biological aging for someone in their 40s.

Clinicians soon may be able to accurately diagnose what kind of dementia patients are suffering from by studying their unique walking patterns.

According to a new study, the rolling iStride Device has been shown to improve the gait of stroke victims.