Impact of a Soft Wearable Back-Support Device on Postural Stability during Trip-Like Perturbations
For researchers and clinicians focused on fall prevention, this work provides evidence that adjustable-stiffness soft exosuits can enhance reactive balance control, though the effect is modest and incremental over existing approaches.
The study tested a soft wearable back-support device during trip-like perturbations and found it significantly improved postural stability, as measured by the minimum Margin of Stability (MOS), with increases of up to 0.05 m in standing and 0.03 m in walking compared to no device.
The effectiveness of a soft wearable back-support device in enhancing postural stability was investigated under trip-like perturbations using two experimental paradigms: perturbed standing and perturbed walking. Healthy subjects completed trials under three different back-support conditions: no device, device worn with low stiffness, and device activated with high stiffness. Whole-body stability was quantified using the minimum Margin of Stability (MOS) at the point of maximal instability. Results demonstrated increased MOS during device use, indicating enhanced postural stability. In standing, MOS increased significantly with device stiffness, whereas in walking, both device conditions improved MOS relative to no device but did not differ significantly from each other. These findings highlight the potential of soft wearable back-support devices with adjustable stiffness to improve reactive balance control against external perturbations, with important implications for fall prevention. Future research should explore personalized stiffness optimization and evaluate efficacy in populations at elevated risk of falls.