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ZeroG helps your patients walk faster, farther and improve their lower extremity function

ZeroG Overground Gait and Balance Training System

Enhanced Outcomes Through Advanced Technology1,2

What is It?

ZeroG is the world's most advanced overground gait and balance training system. It allows patients to safely practice intensive physical therapy early in their rehabilitation, a factor shown to be related to enhanced outcomes.1,2 Versatility of ZeroG promotes a wide-range of training possibilities. The system includes a dynamic body-weight support system that traverses along an overhead track while the patient is securely held in a comfortable harness.

How It Works

The ZeroG Overground Gait and Balance Training system is the first rehabilitation technology that allows therapists to safely train their patients through a wide range of training activities. Because ZeroG is ceiling mounted, it allows therapists to work with patients on:

How ZeroG Works
  • Overground walking
  • Dynamic balance and stability
  • Stair climbing*
  • Side stepping
  • Transfers
  • Getting off the floor
  • Deep knee bends
  • Postural tasks
  • Treadmill training**
  • Using assistive devices

The touch screen interface screen for the ZeroG allows therapists to make changes at the press of a button. This allows for a highly customizable training session which can vary body-weight support, walking speed and fall distance. By altering the amount of body-weight support, the complexity of the task can be modulated, allowing patients of all abilities to practice intensive gait and balance activities. Therapists can set the "safe walking speed" for each patient and ZeroG will use an advanced tracking algorithm to help the patient stay at that speed. This allows the therapist the ability to control their patient's momentum. During each training session, the therapist can also set the distance allowed for each "fall" before the system will catch the patient.

Patients only feel the vertical lifting force due to the motorized trolley. The trolley can be programmed to follow the patient along the track at the patient's safe walking speed, or it can be set in a stationary spot. Setting ZeroG in a stationary spot allows for treadmill training or balance and posture training within "soft walls."

Benefits

Training with ZeroG may help:

ZeroG Benefits
  • Increase overground walking speed
  • Improve balance
  • Enhance endurance
  • Reduce lower extremity impairments

Help your patients walk faster and further, and improve their lower extremity function. ZeroG offers therapists real-time feedback and stores the number of falls prevented, session duration, distance walked and minimum and maximum body-weight support within a session. Storing this information within the secure database allows therapists to track each individual's recovery.

ZeroG allows patients to begin rehabilitation in a safe and controlled environment while giving therapists the opportunity to perform a range of tasks even with the most severely impaired patients which previously were not possible or required multiple therapists.

Associated Conditions

ZeroG can be used to treat gait impairments in individuals after:

ZeroG Associated Conditions
  • Stroke
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Amputation
  • Orthopedic injuries

Clinical Evidence Suggests Improvements With ZeroG Training in Acute Stroke Patients

An ongoing study with ZeroG is being conducted at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC. Results to date appear to suggest that the ZeroG group demonstrates clinical benefits of ZeroG training. All subjects received standard of care therapy. The control group (n=12) received ten additional 1-hour PT sessions while the ZeroG group (n=11) received ten additional 1-hour sessions of ZeroG training. The ZeroG group demonstrated greater gains in walking speed (5-meter), endurance (6-minute walk test), and lower-extremity function (Fugl-Meyer3) than the control group.4

Changes in Walking Speed

(Pre- to Post-Training)

ZeroG Changes in Walking Speed

Changes in Endurance

(Pre- to Post-Training)

ZeroG Changes in Endurance

ZeroG Specifications

ZeroG Specifications
  • Up to 300 lbs of static body-weight support
  • Up to 150 lbs of dynamic body-weight support
  • Active trolley follows patient movements along track up to 4 mph
  • 18.5" touch screen user interface stores clinical gait parameters
  • Apple iPod Touch and/or iPad used to control ZeroG through wireless communication
  • Minimum 9 foot ceiling required
  • Maximum total track length of 75 feet
  • Electrical requirements: 1 x 230VAC, 20A dedicated line; 1 x 110 VAC, 5A line

References:
1. DeJong et al. Arch Phys Med Rehab, 2005; 86(12), Suppl 2, S1-S7.
2. Horn et al. Arch Phys Med Rehab, 2005;86(12), Suppl 2, S101-S114.
3. Fugl-Meyer et al. Scand J Rehabil Med. 1975;7(1):13-31.
4. Preliminary results from ongoing study - Pi: J. Hidler, Funding Source: USAMRMC, 7/1/08 - 6/30/10.

ZeroG and the ZeroG logo are trademarks of Aretech, LLC.
* Number of stairs dependent on ceiling height
** Treadmill sold separately