Motorized shoes induce robust sensorimotor adaptation in walking

Abstract

The motor system has the flexibility to update motor plans according to systematic changes in the environment or the body. This capacity is studied in the laboratory through sensorimotor adaptation paradigms imposing sustained and predictable motor demands specific to the task at hand. However, these studies are tied to the laboratory setting. Thus, we asked if a portable device could be used to elicit locomotor adaptation outside the laboratory. To this end we tested the extent to which a pair of motorized shoes could induce similar locomotor adaptation to split-belt walking, which is a well-established sensorimotor adaptation paradigm in locomotion. We specifically compared two groups of young, healthy subjects adapted on the treadmill by moving their feet at different speeds with a split-belt treadmill or with a pair of motorized shoes. We found that the adaptation of joint motions and measures of spatial and temporal asymmetry, which are commonly used to quantify sensorimotor adaptation in locomotion, were indistinguishable between groups. We only found small differences in the join angle kinematics during baseline walking between the groups-potentially due to the relatively large weight and height of the motorized shoes. Our results indicate that robust sensorimotor adaptation in walking can be induced with a paired of motorized shoes, opening the exciting possibility to study sensorimotor adaptation during more realistic situations outside the laboratory.