Comparison between the robo-horse and real horse movements for hippotherapy.

The study examines the validity and repeatability of a robotic hippotherapy system, used to aid those with neurological or musculoskeletal impairments, by comparing it to the movements of a real horse. The findings suggest a strong correlation in terms of movement timing, but highlight variances in the movement along the X-axis and noticeable differences in acceleration between the real and robotic horse.

Objective of the Study

• The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of a robotic hippotherapy system by comparing its movements to those of a real horse. This is significant because, while robotic hippotherapy systems are increasingly used in therapeutic interventions, their validity and reliability have not been sufficiently established.

Study Methodology

• 3-axis accelerometer sensors were attached to the saddles of a real and robotic horse. These sensors collected 3-dimensional acceleration data while both horses were in motion at a preferred walking speed.
• A linear regression analysis was used to compare the time-to-peak acceleration (TPA) and X-axis acceleration between the movements of the real and robotic horse.

Results of the Study

• There was an excellent correlation in the TPA (R2=0.997) between the two, implying that the timing of the movements of the robotic horse closely matches that of the real horse.
• However, a weak correlation was found in the X-axis acceleration of the two subjects (R2=0.177), indicating that there were variances in the lateral movement between the robotic and real horse.
• Further, the mean resultant accelerations for a real horse and robotic horse were 3.22 m/s2 and 0.67 m/s2 respectively, which shows that the acceleration of the real horse is nearly five times greater than that of the robotic horse.

Implications of the Study

• This study indicates that while the robotic hippotherapy system can mimic the movement timing of a real horse, it falls short in accurately replicating the lateral movements and the acceleration of a real horse.
• The findings may guide the improvement of robotic hippotherapy systems, particularly in terms of their movement on the X-axis and their acceleration capacity.