Objective
Falls are a major public health and economic challenge, particularly among the elderly. Existing robotic exoskeletons provide some balance support but mainly target sagittal (forward/backward) motion, neglecting mediolateral (sideways) instability, which are a critical predictor of hip fractures. Project GentleGait addresses this gap by developing a novel, fully actuated 2-DoF ankle exoskeleton that integrates sagittal and mediolateral assistance. The research pursues three objectives:
1. Mechanical design – Create a lightweight, user-friendly system delivering >60 Nm sagittal and >20 Nm mediolateral torque;
2. Control system – Develop and characterize a 1 kHz low-latency controller (<100 ms) enabling real-time modulation of assistive forces and measurable shifts in lateral Center of Pressure (COP);
3. Pilot study – Quantify impacts on gait stability, energy expenditure, and user acceptance in elderly participants, assessing reductions in mediolateral Center of Mass (CoM) excursion and step length variability, which are established indicators of fall risk.
The system combines a cable-driven parallel kinematic frame for high torque with EtherCAT communication for fast, reliable control. By targeting mediolateral stability, GentleGait directly contributes to EU4Health priorities and the WHO Decade of Healthy Ageing, offering a promising technological pathway to reduce fall risk and support healthy ageing.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering control systems
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1050 BRUSSEL
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.