BACKGROUND Despite a large increase in robotic exoskeleton research, there are few studies that have examined human performance with different control strategies on the same exoskeleton device. Direct comparison studies are needed to determine how users respond to different types of control. The purpose of this study was to compare user performance using a robotic hip exoskeleton with two diffe...

An approach to the design of wearable exoskeletons on the basis of simulation of the exoskeleton and a human body model is proposed in this paper. The new approach, addressing the problem of physical human-exoskeleton interactions, models and simulates the mechanics of both the exoskeleton and the human body, which allows designers to effectively analyze and evaluate an exoskeleton design for t...

We developed an upper-limb power-assist exoskeleton actuated by pneumatic muscles. The exoskeleton included two metal links: a nylon joint, four size-adjustable carbon fiber bracers, a potentiometer and two pneumatic muscles. The proportional myoelectric control method was proposed to control the exoskeleton according to the user's motion intention in real time. With the feature extraction proc...

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) and robotic exoskeletons are two important technologies widely used for physical rehabilitation of paraplegic patients. We developed a hybrid rehabilitation system (FEXO Knee) that combined FES and an exoskeleton for swinging movement control of human knee joints. This study proposed a novel cooperative control strategy, which could realize arbitrary dist...

The design of an assistive lower limb exoskeleton robot for paraplegic patients that can measure the centre of pressure is presented. In contrast with most biped walking robots, the centre of pressure (CoP) or zero moment point (ZMP) has not been actively used in the operation of exoskeleton robots. In order to measure CoP in our exoskeleton robot, two kinds of for...

In a clinical environment for rehabilitation therapy, one exoskeleton is usually shared by multiple patients. If the exoskeleton has a rigid structure which is actuated to mobilize a patient, it will be challenging to guarantee these on-site adjustments can make the rigid exoskeleton fit each patient kinematically perfectly. This paper proposes to design an exoskeleton using compliant continuum...

A quasi-passive leg exoskeleton is presented for load-carrying augmentation during walking. The exoskeleton has no actuators, only ankle and hip springs and a knee variabledamper. Without a payload, the exoskeleton weighs 11.7 kg and requires only 2 Watts of electrical power during loaded walking. For a 36 kg payload, we demonstrate that the quasi-passive exoskeleton transfers on average 80% of...

Although autonomous robotic systems perform remarkably in structured environments (e.g., factories), integrated human–robotic systems are superior to any autonomous robotic systems in unstructured environments that demand significant adaptation. The technology associated with exoskeleton systems and human power augmentation can be divided into lower-extremity exoskeletons and upper-extremity ex...

Exoskeleton robots are mechanical constructions attached to human body parts, containing actuators for influencing human motion. One important application area for exoskeletons is human motion support, for example, for disabled people, including rehabilitation training, and for force enhancement in healthy subjects. This paper surveys two exoskeleton systems developed in our laboratory. The fir...