Gait Trainer Harness 2.0
The Need:
Gait harnesses are used in the physical therapy treatment of patients who have limited walking capabilities to bear the weight of patients. However, the harnesses themselves are a major source of patient discomfort, particularly around the groin and underarm region. Hence the need is to design a harness that is more comfortable and ergonomic to support up to the full weight of a patient during therapeutic exercise.
The Solution:
Our solution is to take the weight off from the groin area by having several contact points elsewhere which will minimize the discomfort to the patients. The previous version had a vest and thigh straps that are worn over the patient’s clothes. The thigh straps were connected to the vest. The vest was intended to bear patient’s full body weight. During the testing of harness, the team came to conclusion that vest was not necessary. Our new version has vest removed from the design. Hence, the harness consists of thigh straps connected to the boots of the patient. This will prevent thigh straps from sliding down. This make the harness more comfortable than the previous version and just like the previous version, new version can also be worn over the clothes.