{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T21:06:55Z","timestamp":1784668015434,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"22","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,18]],"date-time":"2022-11-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1668729600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder with a variety of symptoms that can affect muscle coordination and movement. Crouch gait is one such symptom that is defined as excessive knee flexion accompanied by a crouched posture. This paper introduces a passive exoskeleton to support the knee joint during stance of individuals with cerebral palsy that are affected by crouch gait. The exoskeleton utilizes a hydraulic disc brake mechanism that is actuated only by the body weight and gait of the wearer to provide a braking torque at the knee joint. This passive, gait-based control method aims to offer a compact, lightweight, and simple alternative to existing exoskeletons. Preliminary experiments were conducted to verify the mechanics, safety, and braking capabilities of the device with healthy participants. A pilot study with an individual with cerebral palsy was then conducted. The individual with cerebral palsy showed a reduction in hip joint angle when using the device (18.8\u2218 and 21.7\u2218 for left and right sides, respectively). The muscle co-activation index was also reduced from 0.48 to 0.24 on the right side and from 0.17 to 0.017 on the left side. However, changes such as activation timing and device training need to be improved to better support the user.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s22228935","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,18]],"date-time":"2022-11-18T06:22:28Z","timestamp":1668752548000},"page":"8935","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Passive Exoskeleton with Gait-Based Knee Joint Support for Individuals with Cerebral Palsy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5292-7102","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maxwell","family":"Kennard","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Integrative and Global Majors, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2953-6434","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hideki","family":"Kadone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Cybernics Research and Center for Innovative Medicine and Engineering, University of Tsukuba Hospital, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7491-4516","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yukiyo","family":"Shimizu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1736-5404","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kenji","family":"Suzuki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Systems, Information and Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"NINDS (2013). 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