Stoller, O. et al “Cardiopulmonary responses to robotic end-effector-based walking and stair climbing.” Med Eng Phys. 2014 Apr;36(4):425-31.
The specific aims of this study were: to characterize cardiopulmonary responses from end-effector-based walking and stair climbing exercise, and to assess the technical feasibility of end-effector-based intensity-guided incremental exercise testing for assessment of peak exercise capacity in healthy subjects. End-effector-based exercise is a promising method for the implementation of cardiovascular exercise. Five healthy subjects with no known cardiovascular, pulmonary or musculoskeletal problems that may have interfered with or contraindicated exercise testing participated in this study. The end-effector-based robotic device (G-EO system, Reha Tech-nology AG, Switzerland) was used to simulate walking and stairs climbing. Although robotic stair climbing evoked lower cardiopulmonary responses than conventional stair climbing, active contribution during exercise elicited substantial cardiopulmonary responses within recommended ranges for aerobic training.