MOBILITY AID

According to a first aspect there is provided a walking aid (WA) 100 usable as a medical device, suitable for supporting a mobility impaired disabled user while moving through a set of movements correlating to a walking motion. The WA 100 comprises an exoskeleton 500, a power source in the form of a battery pack or other similar onboard power pack (not shown) together with its associated power supply cables (not shown), and a control system (not shown). The exoskeleton 500 comprises a rigid pelvic support member or hip frame 15 including a pelvic harness 96, and a pair of leg structures 50 (a first leg structure and second leg structure). Each of the leg structures 50 comprise an upper leg structural member 10, a lower leg structural member 11, a foot member 18, a main hip actuator 16, a knee actuator 13 and a main foot actuator 19. The upper leg structural member 10 is for securing with an upper leg 610 of a user 600, the upper leg structural member 10 being pivotally engaged at a first end 10a thereof to the hip frame 15 by the hip joint 14. The lower leg structural member 11 is for securing with the lower leg 620 of the user 600, the lower leg structural member 11 being pivotally engaged at a first end 11a thereof to a second end 10b of the upper leg structural member 10 by a knee joint 12. At a first end 10a of the upper leg member 10 is a hip joint 14 that pivotally engages the upper leg member 10 with the hip frame 15. The hip joint 14 defines a hip axis 14A that in use is located relative to the user 600 at or approximate to the natural axis of hip rotation in an anterior/posterior direction of movement. In a preferred embodiment, each hip joint 14 is configured relative to the hip frame 15 with its axis of rotation 14A extending downwardly in a lateral direction at an angle of between zero and ten degrees, and more preferably of about four degrees. This inclination of the axis of rotation 14A mimics a human beings upper leg alignment. The inclination allows for more natural transfer of the centre of mass (generally located about the middle of the pelvis) to. a point within the support area provided by the foot member 18 during when the WA 100 is controlled in a natural walking movement.