The Lokomat device is essentially a

The Lokomat device is essentially a robotic implementation of body-weight supported treadmill training, conventionally performed manually by a physical therapist. Emerging evidence suggests that this training paradigm may not be optimal for the stroke population. Despite a seemingly robust conceptual foundation (Dobkin & Duncan, 2014), body-weight supported treadmill training has proved disappointing in a major clinical trial.The LEAPS trial evaluated the efficacy of therapist-assisted,bodyweight supported locomotor training for 408 patients with acute stroke. The study found that therapistassisted body-weight supported locomotor training was no more effective than a therapist-directed home exercise program emphasizing balance and mobility at one year post-stroke (Duncan et al., 2011). While this study did not directly assess the efficacy of a comparable robotic intervention, such as the Lokomat, it does call into question the validity of body-weight supported locomotor training in any capacity as an evidence-based intervention post-stroke. As a result, this therapy is not widely used at present. Dobkin and Duncan (2014) argue that early-stage conceptual research, rather than costly mass-production of complex devices may expedite the development of novel interventions with greater effiacy.They further contend that workstation robotic devices may ultimately be insufficient to simulate the environment and task-specific advantages of overground training in a natural context.