Therapeutic and assistive robotics for gait rehabilitation | Research directions

We began our work with treadmill‑based gait rehabilitation systems, starting with LOPES I, the first force‑controlled robotic gait trainer, followed by its successor LOPES II. For LOPES II, we developed a control framework that supports the key subtasks of gait and automatically adjusts assistance to each patient. The system was successfully validated in a large clinical trial n people with stroke in collaboration with Roessingh Rehabilitation Center and Sint Maartenskliniek. We are now exploring how model‑based control and AI‑driven adaptation can further advance individualized robot‑aided gait training.

Building on these foundations, we developed force‑controlled exoskeletons for overground walking, including Mindwalker and Symbitron. Here we developed control algorithms to support balance during standing and demonstrated its effect in a person with a complete spinal cord injury. Additionally we developped human‑inspired neuromuscular control strategies which allow more versatile assistance during gait. A training study with the modular Symbitron ankle exoskeleton demonstrated improved walking speed in people with incomplete spinal cord injury, both with and without the device, highlighting its potential to support motor recovery.

Key publications

Veneman, J. F., Kruidhof, R., Hekman, E. E. G., Ekkelenkamp, R., Van Asseldonk, E. H. F., & Van Der Kooij, H. (2007). Design and Evaluation of the LOPES Exoskeleton Robot for Interactive Gait Rehabilitation. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 15(3), 379–386. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2007.903919

Meuleman, J., Van Asseldonk, E., Van Oort, G., Rietman, H., & Van Der Kooij, H. (2016). LOPES II—Design and Evaluation of an Admittance Controlled Gait Training Robot With Shadow-Leg Approach. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 24(3), 352–363. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2015.2511448

Fricke, S. S., Bayón, C., van der Kooij, H., & van Asseldonk, E. (2020). Automatic versus manual tuning of robot-assisted gait training in people with neurological disorders. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 17(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-019-0630-9

Alingh, J. F., Fleerkotte, B. M., Groen, B. E., Rietman, J. S., Weerdesteyn, V., van Asseldonk, E., Geurts, A. C. H., & Buurke, J. H. (2021). Effect of assist-as-needed robotic gait training on the gait pattern post stroke: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 18(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-020-00800-4

Tamburella, F., Tagliamonte, N. L., Pisotta, I., Masciullo, M., Arquilla, M., van Asseldonk, E., van der Kooij, H., Wu, A. R., Dzeladini, F., Ijspeert, A. J., & Molinari, M. (2020). Neuromuscular Controller Embedded in a Powered Ankle Exoskeleton: Effects on Gait, Clinical Features and Subjective Perspective of Incomplete Spinal Cord Injured Subjects. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 28(5), 1157–1167. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2020.2984790

Prieto, A. V., Keemink, A. Q. L., Asseldonk, E. H. F. van, & Kooij, H. van der. (2025). Implementation and Tuning of Momentum-Based Controller for Standing Balance in a Lower-limb Exoskeleton with Paraplegic User. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2025.3526424

Related projects

Balance control in Challenging Conditions - TTW perspectief program Wearable robotics

TAILOR

Examples

Robot aided gait training using lopes

We developed LOPES II, a robotic gait trainer designed to make stroke rehabilitation more natural, task‑specific, and efficient. Its eight powered degrees of freedom and low‑impedance admittance control enable both free‑walking‑like training and targeted gait support. Thanks to its end‑effector design and minimal alignment requirements, LOPES II offers fast setup times and provides support for both severely and mildly impaired patients. Meuleman, J., Van Asseldonk, E., Van Oort, G., Rietman, H., & Van Der Kooij, H. (2016). LOPES II—Design and Evaluation of an Admittance Controlled Gait Training Robot With Shadow-Leg Approach. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 24(3), 352–363. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2015.2511448

Balance control for person with complete spinal cord injury

We developed and evaluated a momentum-based balance controller for the Symbitron lower limb exoskeleton and demonstrated autonomous standing balance for a paraplegic user. Through systematic gain tuning and push-response testing, we derived practical guidelines for optimizing control performance within hardware constraints. The controller allows the exoskeleton to reject external disturbances up to 60 N, marking a key step toward autonomous exoskeleton balance. Prieto, A. V., Keemink, A. Q. L., Asseldonk, E. H. F. van, & Kooij, H. van der. (2025). Implementation and Tuning of Momentum-Based Controller for Standing Balance in a Lower-limb Exoskeleton with Paraplegic User. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2025.3526424