TOKYO, Japan, July 29, 2012 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology (NCGG) *1 will feature Honda's Stride Management Assist device in its new program to assess elder independence solutions, which will begin in late August this year. The Stride Management Assist device is a lightweight, wearable device designed to support people with reduced walking ability. The results of the NCGG program will be leveraged by the Project to Explore Practical Applications of Service Robots, which is an initiative of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) *2. One of the goals of the NEDO project is to develop standards for service robot safety technologies.
Established to research the needs of people whose walking ability has declined due to aging*3, the NCGG program will operate from the Elder Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Center, which opens today in the Resora Obu Shopping Terrace in Obu, Aichi Prefecture. Honda will provide NCGG with 40 Stride Management Assist devices, which will be used in the shopping mall and on certain designated walking paths. Based on data output from the devices after use, Honda will research the applicability of the devices to elder independence solutions.
- *1National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology (NCGG) is a national center for advanced and specialized medicine for the elderly based in Obu, Aichi Prefecture that researches aging-associated diseases, develops and promotes treatment options, and provides training.
- *2Japan's largest public management organization engaged in the development and testing of technology, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) was founded to leverage the experience Japan gained from the oil crises of the 1970s and today collaborates with corporations, universities and public research institutions to solve global energy and environmental problems and to increase the technological strength of Japanese industry.
- *3The program will focus on persons with reduced walking ability who are still able to walk under their own power.
Stride Management
Assist device
Stride Management
Assist device in use
Key specifications of Stride Management Assist device (prototype as of July 2012)
| Size | Three sizes available: S, M, L Distance between motors: S: 310 mm M: 340 mm L: 380 mm |
| Weight | 2.4 kg (size M) |
| Drive method | Brushless DC motor |
| Battery (type/capacity) | Lithium-ion rechargeable battery/22.2 V-1 Ah |
| Operation time on full charge | Over 1 hour (at 4.5 km/h pace) |