Measurement and analysis of reflex Responses to perturbation during walking-towards the realization of artificial reflex.

Reflex responses play an important role in gravity resistance, balance maintenance and the reaction to perturbation during human walking and standing upright. In this study, aiming at the realization of artificial reflex for paralyzed people, whose reflexive system was also impaired to a certain degree because of the weakened afferent neural pathway, the reflex responses of normal subjects were measured and analyzed. Not only the sensors for measuring muscle activation, but also the sensors for measuring body motion were employed. The spatiotemporal relation between muscle activity and body motion was qualitatively analyzed. Moreover, the candidates for artificial reflex triggering signal were identified for further investigation.