A passively safe cable driven upper limb rehabilitation exoskeleton.

BACKGROUND When using upper limb exoskeletons that assist the movement of physically weak people, safety should be the most important index. OBJECTIVE In this paper, a passively safe, cable-driven upper limb exoskeleton with parallel actuated joints, which perfectly mimics human motions, is proposed. METHODS Compared with the existing upper limb exoskeletons which are mostly designed only considering the realization of functional properties, and having poor wearabity, a passively safe prototype for motion assistance based on human anatomy structure has been developed in our design. This design is based on the prior exoskeleton structure with the adoption of a gravity balanced device. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION The gravity balanced mechanism was confirmed in theory and simulation, showing it has a positive effect on balance.