Abstract Impaired reactive responses to sudden mechanical perturbations during walking (such as slips or trips) increase the risk of falling in older adults. Reactive balance, defined as the ability to recover stability after an unexpected postural disturbance, is distinct from static (standing) and dynamic (walking) balance abilities. Existing perturbation paradigms for studying reactive balance in response to slip and trip perturbations typically require expensive equipment (e.g., split-belt treadmills) or complex setups (e.g., obstacle deployment systems). To address this gap, this study introduces a novel, easy-to-implement, cable-driven ankle perturbation system that can deliver random, unanticipated slip and trip perturbations of desired intensities at specific points in the gait cycle. The system uses a motor unit to apply pulling forces to the ankle (either in the anterior or posterior direction), and an electromagnetic brake to arrest the ankle posteriorly. A gait event detection algorithm controlled the timing of perturbation onset using inputs from a wearable pressure insole system. The system was tested on one healthy young adult subject using three perturbation configurations: (i) posterior braking, (ii) backward pulling, and (iii) forward pulling. The pilot study showed that changes in the joint kinematics of the ipsilateral leg in response to different perturbation configurations were qualitatively consistent with findings from prior perturbation studies. While evaluating the system in fall-prone populations (i.e., older adults and amputees) remains future work, preliminary results suggest that the proposed system could be a versatile and technologically accessible tool for studying reactive balance control and aiding the development of assistive devices and rehabilitation therapies to prevent falls.