To analyze the use of upper limb support during paraplegic walking assisted by functional electrical stimulation ( FES), a new dynamical measurement for handle reaction vector (HRV) ap- plied by patient to walker was proposed. To avoid the discomfort of direct monitoring, the dyna- mometer system was designed based on 12 string-gauge bridges instrumented on a standard walker frame. The detailed positions of these bridges were determined according to the deformation distri- butions of the walker frame under different directional components of HRV. To adapt the system to quantitative and reliable measurement, a redundant-optimized technique was developed in calibra- tion. The measurement accuracy, nonlinearity. and crosstalk of the designed system were investi- gated, which were better than 1.01%. 2.91%, and 3.19% respectively. Clinical trials were done with 6 paraplegic subjects using the system and one case was given as the example of actual mea- surement. All experiment and clinical trial results show that this method is reliable and practicable.
