Toyota Motor Corporation

Application of VisionPose to Welwalk WW-2000

VisionPose is used in the “Welwalk WW-2000”,
a robot designed to support rehabilitation of lower limbs that were paralyzed by strokes.

Issei Nakashima, Center for Future Creation of Toyota Motor Corporation

Initial Business Requirements

As new features of the Welwalk WW-2000, we have been developing a gait analysis guide function and a game function to determine the abnormal gait of patients in real-time.

We had been looking for a markerless skeletal estimation software using image recognition technology, because it is essential to detect skeletal information of patients in real-time and in an easy-to-measure way for clinical use.

Why We Choose VisionPose

VisionPose has the following advantages:
(1) High robustness of skeletal recognition
(2) Low computing load
These characteristics of VisionPose met the requirements we had for our Welwalk WW-2000.

Implementation Results and Future Outlook

With the implementation of VisionPose, skeletal information can be detected robustly and in real-time, even when the patient is wearing the robot.

As a result, the combination of VisionPose and multiple sensors attached to the robot legs helped us to realize the gait analysis guidance function and a game function which meet the level to be used in clinical site.

We had been facing many technical challenges before using VisionPose, but thanks to the versatility of VisionPose’s SDK and NEXT-SYSTEM’s conscientious support, we were able to successfully solve the challenges and realize the new functions of the Welwalk WW-2000. Thank you very much.

Issei Nakashima

Center for Future Creation of Toyota Motor Corporation

Corporate Profile

Company Name
Toyota Motor Corporation
URL
https://global.toyota/en/
Number of Employees
Consolidated: 370,870 people (as of March 2019)
Capital
635.4 billion Yen (As of the end of March 2019)
Services
Production and sales of automobiles

Special Feature Article Series on “WelWalk” in the Toyota Times