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Lee JG, Rodrigue H. Design and Analysis of Reconfigurable Origami-Based Vacuum Pneumatic Artificial Muscles for Versatile Robotic System. Soft Robot 2024. [PMID: 38669113 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2023.0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study, a vacuum-based modular actuator system named reconfigurable origami-based vacuum pneumatic artificial muscles (ROV-PAMs) is presented. The system consists of six types of actuating modules and three types of fluidic supporting modules each embedded with magnet-based connectors so that the modules can be assembled to modify the system behavior. The module can be used in a myriad of ways, including extending their working range, creating complex geometries upon deformation, and cooperating to improve overall performance. A simple analytical model for the actuating modules is derived based on the law of conservation of energy, and the model is verified experimentally which shows that this intuitive model can provide a reasonable prediction of performance. A block sorting robot is built using three different types of actuating modules with multiple fluidic supporting modules, and the robot shows that it is possible to flexibly and easily assemble modules to build a robot capable of completing diverse tasks. The ROV-PAM module and its concept can be applied to realize robotic designs, which can be altered on-the-fly to adjust its functionality to meet the evolving requirements required for truly flexible automation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Gyu Lee
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Hugo Rodrigue
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
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2
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Heung KHL, Li H, Wong TWL, Ng SSM. Assistive robotic hand with bi-directional soft actuator for hand impaired patients. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1188996. [PMID: 37476478 PMCID: PMC10354247 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1188996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Soft wearable robotic hand can assist with hand function for the performance of activities of daily living (ADL). However, existing robotic hands lack a mathematical way to quantify the grip force generated for better controlling the grasp of objects during the performance of ADL. To address this issue, this article presents a soft wearable robotic hand with active control of finger flexion and extension through an elastomeric-based bi-directional soft actuator. This actuator bends and extends by pneumatic actuation at lower air pressure, and a flex sensor embedded inside the actuator measures the angles of the fingers in real-time. Analytical models are established to quantify the kinematic and tip force for gripping of the actuator in terms of the relationship between the input pressure and the bending angle, as well as the output force, and are validated experimentally and by the finite element method. Furthermore, the ability of the soft robotic hand to grasp objects is validated with and without being worn on a human hand. The robotic hand facilitates hand opening and closing by the wearer and successfully assists with grasping objects with sufficient force for ADL-related tasks, and the grip force provided by the actuator is further estimated by the analytical models on two healthy subjects. Results suggest the possibility of the soft robotic hand in providing controllable grip strength in rehabilitation and ADL assistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin H. L. Heung
- Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Heng Li
- Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Thomson. W. L. Wong
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shamay S. M. Ng
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Cumplido-Trasmonte C, Molina-Rueda F, Puyuelo-Quintana G, Plaza-Flores A, Hernández-Melero M, Barquín-Santos E, Destarac-Eguizabal MA, García-Armada E. Satisfaction analysis of overground gait exoskeletons in people with neurological pathology. a systematic review. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2023; 20:47. [PMID: 37072823 PMCID: PMC10111693 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-023-01161-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND People diagnosed with neurological pathology may experience gait disorders that affect their quality of life. In recent years, research has been carried out on a variety of exoskeletons in this population. However, the satisfaction perceived by the users of these devices is not known. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to evaluate the satisfaction perceived by users with neurological pathology (patients and professionals) after the use of overground exoskeletons. METHODS A systematic search of five electronic databases was conducted. In order to be included in this review for further analysis, the studies had to meet the following criteria: [1] the study population was people diagnosed with neurological pathology; [2] the exoskeletons had to be overground and attachable to the lower limbs; and [3]: the studies were to include measures assessing either patient or therapist satisfaction with the exoskeletons. RESULTS Twenty-three articles were selected, of which nineteen were considered clinical trials. Participants diagnosed with stroke (n = 165), spinal cord injury (SCI) (n = 102) and multiple sclerosis (MS) (n = 68). Fourteen different overground exoskeleton models were analysed. Fourteen different methods of assessing patient satisfaction with the devices were found, and three ways to evaluate it in therapists. CONCLUSION Users' satisfaction with gait overground exoskeletons in stroke, SCI and MS seems to show positive results in safety, efficacy and comfort of the devices. However, the worst rated aspects and therefore those that should be optimized from the users' point of view are ease of adjustment, size and weight, and ease of use.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Cumplido-Trasmonte
- Centre for Automation and Robotics (CAR), CSIC-UPM, Ctra Campo Real km 0.2 - La Poveda- Arganda del Rey, Madrid, 28500, Spain.
- International Doctoral School, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, 28922, Spain.
| | - F Molina-Rueda
- Department of Physical Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain
| | - G Puyuelo-Quintana
- International Doctoral School, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, 28922, Spain
- Marsi Bionics S.L., Madrid, Spain
| | - A Plaza-Flores
- Centre for Automation and Robotics (CAR), CSIC-UPM, Ctra Campo Real km 0.2 - La Poveda- Arganda del Rey, Madrid, 28500, Spain
- Marsi Bionics S.L., Madrid, Spain
- Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Hernández-Melero
- Centre for Automation and Robotics (CAR), CSIC-UPM, Ctra Campo Real km 0.2 - La Poveda- Arganda del Rey, Madrid, 28500, Spain
| | | | | | - E García-Armada
- Centre for Automation and Robotics (CAR), CSIC-UPM, Ctra Campo Real km 0.2 - La Poveda- Arganda del Rey, Madrid, 28500, Spain.
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4
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Liang J, Zhang Q, Liu Y, Wang T, Wan G. A review of the design of load-carrying exoskeletons. SCIENCE CHINA. TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2022; 65:2051-2067. [PMID: 36032505 PMCID: PMC9392988 DOI: 10.1007/s11431-022-2145-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The increasing necessity of load-carrying activities has led to greater human musculoskeletal damage and an increased metabolic cost. With the rise of exoskeleton technology, researchers have begun exploring different approaches to developing wearable robots to augment human load-carrying ability. However, there is a lack of systematic discussion on biomechanics, mechanical designs, and augmentation performance. To achieve this, extensive studies have been reviewed and 108 references are selected mainly from 2013 to 2022 to address the most recent development. Other earlier 20 studies are selected to present the origin of different design principles. In terms of the way to achieve load-carrying augmentation, the exoskeletons reviewed in this paper are sorted by four categories based on the design principles, namely load-suspended backpacks, lower-limb exoskeletons providing joint torques, exoskeletons transferring load to the ground and exoskeletons transferring load between body segments. Specifically, the driving modes of active and passive, the structure of rigid and flexible, the conflict between assistive performance and the mass penalty of the exoskeleton, and the autonomy are discussed in detail in each section to illustrate the advances, challenges, and future trends of exoskeletons designed to carry loads.
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Affiliation(s)
- JieJunYi Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 China
| | - QinHao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 China
| | - Tao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 China
| | - GuangFu Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 China
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5
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Cao W, Ma Y, Chen C, Zhang J, Wu X. Hardware Circuits Design and Performance Evaluation of a Soft Lower Limb Exoskeleton. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2022; 16:384-394. [PMID: 35536795 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2022.3173965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Soft lower limb exoskeletons (LLEs) are wearable devices that have good potential in walking rehabilitation and augmentation. While a few studies focused on the structure design and assistance force optimization of the soft LLEs, rarely work has been conducted on the hardware circuits design. The main purpose of this work is to present a new soft LLE for walking efficiency improvement and introduce its hardware circuits design. A soft LLE for hip flexion assistance and a hardware circuits system with scalability were proposed. To assess the efficacy of the soft LLE, the experimental tests that evaluate the sensor data acquisition, force tracking performance, lower limb muscle activity and metabolic cost were conducted. The time error in the peak assistance force was just 1%. The reduction in the normalized root-mean-square EMG of the rectus femoris was 7.1%. The net metabolic cost in exoskeleton on condition was reduced by 7.8% relative to walking with no exoskeleton. The results show that the designed hardware circuits can be applied to the soft LLE and the soft LLE is able to improve walking efficiency of wearers.
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6
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Miller-Jackson TM, Natividad RF, Lim DYL, Hernandez-Barraza L, Ambrose JW, Yeow RCH. A Wearable Soft Robotic Exoskeleton for Hip Flexion Rehabilitation. Front Robot AI 2022; 9:835237. [PMID: 35572371 PMCID: PMC9096701 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2022.835237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leg motion is essential to everyday tasks, yet many face a daily struggle due to leg motion impairment. Traditional robotic solutions for lower limb rehabilitation have arisen, but they may bare some limitations due to their cost. Soft robotics utilizes soft, pliable materials which may afford a less costly robotic solution. This work presents a soft-pneumatic-actuator-driven exoskeleton for hip flexion rehabilitation. An array of soft pneumatic rotary actuators is used for torque generation. An analytical model of the actuators is validated and used to determine actuator parameters for the target application of hip flexion. The performance of the assembly is assessed, and it is found capable of the target torque for hip flexion, 19.8 Nm at 30°, requiring 86 kPa to reach that torque output. The assembly exhibits a maximum torque of 31 Nm under the conditions tested. The full exoskeleton assembly is then assessed with healthy human subjects as they perform a set of lower limb motions. For one motion, the Leg Raise, a muscle signal reduction of 43.5% is observed during device assistance, as compared to not wearing the device. This reduction in muscle effort indicates that the device is effective in providing hip flexion assistance and suggests that pneumatic-rotary-actuator-driven exoskeletons are a viable solution to realize more accessible options for those who suffer from lower limb immobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiana M. Miller-Jackson
- Evolution Innovation Lab, Advanced Robotics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Rainier F. Natividad
- Evolution Innovation Lab, Advanced Robotics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Daniel Yuan Lee Lim
- Evolution Innovation Lab, Advanced Robotics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Luis Hernandez-Barraza
- Evolution Innovation Lab, Advanced Robotics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jonathan W. Ambrose
- Evolution Innovation Lab, Advanced Robotics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Raye Chen-Hua Yeow
- Evolution Innovation Lab, Advanced Robotics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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7
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Tiboni M, Borboni A, Vérité F, Bregoli C, Amici C. Sensors and Actuation Technologies in Exoskeletons: A Review. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:884. [PMID: 35161629 PMCID: PMC8839165 DOI: 10.3390/s22030884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Exoskeletons are robots that closely interact with humans and that are increasingly used for different purposes, such as rehabilitation, assistance in the activities of daily living (ADLs), performance augmentation or as haptic devices. In the last few decades, the research activity on these robots has grown exponentially, and sensors and actuation technologies are two fundamental research themes for their development. In this review, an in-depth study of the works related to exoskeletons and specifically to these two main aspects is carried out. A preliminary phase investigates the temporal distribution of scientific publications to capture the interest in studying and developing novel ideas, methods or solutions for exoskeleton design, actuation and sensors. The distribution of the works is also analyzed with respect to the device purpose, body part to which the device is dedicated, operation mode and design methods. Subsequently, actuation and sensing solutions for the exoskeletons described by the studies in literature are analyzed in detail, highlighting the main trends in their development and spread. The results are presented with a schematic approach, and cross analyses among taxonomies are also proposed to emphasize emerging peculiarities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Tiboni
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze, 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (M.T.); (C.A.)
| | - Alberto Borboni
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze, 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (M.T.); (C.A.)
| | - Fabien Vérité
- Agathe Group INSERM U 1150, UMR 7222 CNRS, ISIR (Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Chiara Bregoli
- Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy (ICMATE), National Research Council (CNR), Via Previati 1/E, 23900 Lecco, Italy;
| | - Cinzia Amici
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze, 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (M.T.); (C.A.)
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A Portable Waist-Loaded Soft Exosuit for Hip Flexion Assistance with Running. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13020157. [PMID: 35208282 PMCID: PMC8874989 DOI: 10.3390/mi13020157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The soft exosuit is an emerging robotics, which has been proven to considerably reduce the metabolic consumption of human walking and running. However, compared to walking, relatively few soft exosuits have been studied for running. Many soft exosuits used for running are worn on the back and with a heavy weight load, which may cause instability while running and potentially increase metabolic consumption. Therefore, reducing the weight of the whole soft exosuit system as much as possible and keeping the soft exosuit close to the center of gravity, may improve running stability and further reduce metabolic consumption. In this paper, a portable waist-loaded soft exosuit, the weight of which is almost entirely concentrated at the waist, is shown to assist hip flexion during running, and justifies choosing to assist hip flexion while running. As indicated by the experiments of motion flexibility, wearing the waist-loaded soft exosuit can assist in performing many common and complex motions. The metabolic consumption experiments proved that the portable waist-loaded soft exosuit reduces the metabolic consumption rate of wearers when jogging on the treadmill at 6 km per hour by 7.79% compared with locomotion without the exosuit. Additionally, at the running speed of 8 km per hour, using the waist-loaded soft exosuit can reduce metabolic consumption rate by 4.74%. Similarly, at the running speed of 10 km per hour, it also can be reduced by 6.12%. It is demonstrated that assisting hip flexion for running is also a reasonable method, and wearing the waist-loaded soft exosuit can keep human motion flexibility and reduce metabolic consumption.
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9
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Cao W, Chen C, Wang D, Wu X, Chen L, Xu T, Liu J. A Lower Limb Exoskeleton With Rigid and Soft Structure for Loaded Walking Assistance. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2021.3125723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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10
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A Wearable Soft Fabric Sleeve for Upper Limb Augmentation. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21227638. [PMID: 34833719 PMCID: PMC8620533 DOI: 10.3390/s21227638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Soft actuators (SAs) have been used in many compliant robotic structure and wearable devices, due to their safe interaction with the wearers. Despite advances, the capability of current SAs is limited by scalability, high hysteresis, and slow responses. In this paper, a new class of soft, scalable, and high-aspect ratio fiber-reinforced hydraulic SAs is introduced. The new SA uses a simple fabrication process of insertion where a hollow elastic rubber tube is directly inserted into a constrained hollow coil, eliminating the need for the manual wrapping of an inextensible fiber around a long elastic structure. To provide high adaptation to the user skin for wearable applications, the new SAs are integrated into flexible fabrics to form a wearable fabric sleeve. To monitor the SA elongation, a soft liquid metal-based fabric piezoresistive sensor is also developed. To capture the nonlinear hysteresis of the SA, a novel asymmetric hysteresis model which only requires five model parameters in its structure is developed and experimentally validated. The new SAs-driven wearable robotic sleeve is scalable, highly flexible, and lightweight. It can also produce a large amount of force of around 23 N per muscle at around 30% elongation, to provide useful assistance to the human upper limbs. Experimental results show that the soft fabric sleeve can augment a user’s performance when working against a load, evidenced by a significant reduction on the muscular effort, as monitored by electromyogram (EMG) signals. The performance of the developed SAs, soft fabric sleeve, soft liquid metal fabric sensor, and nonlinear hysteresis model reveal that they can effectively modulate the level of assistance for the wearer. The new technologies obtained from this work can be potentially implemented in emerging assistive applications, such as rehabilitation, defense, and industry.
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11
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Biomechanical and Physiological Evaluation of a Multi-Joint Exoskeleton with Active-Passive Assistance for Walking. BIOSENSORS-BASEL 2021; 11:bios11100393. [PMID: 34677349 PMCID: PMC8534129 DOI: 10.3390/bios11100393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
How to improve the walking efficiency while ensuring the wearability is an important issue of lower limb exoskeletons. Active devices can provide greater forces, while the passive devices have advantage in weight. We presented a multi-joint exoskeleton with active hip extension assistance and passive ankle plantarflexion assistance in this work. An admittance controller based on a feedforward model was proposed to track the desired active force of the hip extension. An underfoot clutch mechanism was adapted to realize the passive ankle plantarflexion assistance. To assess the efficacy of the multi-joint exoskeleton in assisting walking, we conducted comprehensive experiments to evaluate the force tracking performance, lower limb muscle activities and metabolic cost. The results demonstrated that: (i) The average tracking error of the peak hip extension assistance force from three subjects was less than 3%. (ii) The reductions of normalized root-mean-square EMG in the lateral soleus, medial soleus and gluteus maximus of eight subjects achieved 15.33%, 11.11%, and 3.74%, respectively. (iii) The average metabolic cost of six subjects was reduced by 10.41% under exoskeleton on (EO) condition comparing to the condition of walking with no exoskeleton (NE). This work proved that the concept of the multi-joint exoskeleton with active-passive assistance can improve the walking efficiency.
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12
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Ye X, Chen C, Shi Y, Chen L, Wang Z, Zhang Z, Liu Y, Wu X. A Time Division Multiplexing Inspired Lightweight Soft Exoskeleton for Hip and Ankle Joint Assistance. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:1150. [PMID: 34683200 PMCID: PMC8538614 DOI: 10.3390/mi12101150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Exoskeleton robots are frequently applied to augment or assist the user's natural motion. Generally, each assisted joint corresponds to at least one specific motor to ensure the independence of movement between joints. This means that as there are more joints to be assisted, more motors are required, resulting in increasing robot weight, decreasing motor utilization, and weakening exoskeleton robot assistance efficiency. To solve this problem, the design and control of a lightweight soft exoskeleton that assists hip-plantar flexion of both legs in different phases during a gait cycle with only one motor is presented in this paper. Inspired by time-division multiplexing and the symmetry of walking motion, an actuation scheme that uses different time-periods of the same motor to transfer different forces to different joints is formulated. An automatic winding device is designed to dynamically change the loading path of the assistive force at different phases of the gait cycle. The system is designed to assist hip flexion and plantar flexion of both legs with only one motor, since there is no overlap between the hip flexion movement and the toe-offs movement of the separate legs during walking. The weight of the whole system is only 2.24 kg. PD iterative control is accomplished by an algorithm that utilizes IMUs attached on the thigh recognizing the maximum hip extension angle to characterize toe-offs indirectly, and two load cells to monitor the cable tension. In the study of six subjects, muscle fatigue of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius and soleus decreased by an average of 14.69%, 6.66%, 17.71%, and 8.15%, respectively, compared to scenarios without an exoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Ye
- Shenzhen Institute of Adanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (X.Y.); (L.C.); (Z.W.); (Z.Z.); (Y.L.); (X.W.)
- Parallel Robot and Mechatronic System Laboratory of Hebei Province, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen College of Adanced Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chunjie Chen
- Shenzhen Institute of Adanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (X.Y.); (L.C.); (Z.W.); (Z.Z.); (Y.L.); (X.W.)
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen College of Adanced Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yanguo Shi
- Parallel Robot and Mechatronic System Laboratory of Hebei Province, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;
| | - Lingxing Chen
- Shenzhen Institute of Adanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (X.Y.); (L.C.); (Z.W.); (Z.Z.); (Y.L.); (X.W.)
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen College of Adanced Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zhuo Wang
- Shenzhen Institute of Adanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (X.Y.); (L.C.); (Z.W.); (Z.Z.); (Y.L.); (X.W.)
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen College of Adanced Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zhewen Zhang
- Shenzhen Institute of Adanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (X.Y.); (L.C.); (Z.W.); (Z.Z.); (Y.L.); (X.W.)
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen College of Adanced Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yida Liu
- Shenzhen Institute of Adanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (X.Y.); (L.C.); (Z.W.); (Z.Z.); (Y.L.); (X.W.)
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen College of Adanced Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xinyu Wu
- Shenzhen Institute of Adanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; (X.Y.); (L.C.); (Z.W.); (Z.Z.); (Y.L.); (X.W.)
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen College of Adanced Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen 518055, China
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13
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Fang T, Cao W, Chen C, Zhang Y, Wang Z, Wu X. A soft exosuit for hip extension assistance of the elderly. Technol Health Care 2021; 29:837-841. [PMID: 33427699 DOI: 10.3233/thc-202423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Population aging is now a universal trend. Many elderly persons can only conduct limited and short time walking because of age-related skeletal muscle decline of the lower limbs. The wearable device for walking assistance is beneficial to improve the life quality of the elderly. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to propose a soft exosuit for walking assistance of the elderly and verify its feasibility. METHODS The wearable structure and control strategy were presented. The performance of the soft exosuit was tested by force tracking evaluation and metabolic cost test. RESULTS The mean error of the measured and target peak force was 1.1%. The metabolic cost with assistance on while wearing the exosuit was reduced by 9.2% compared with that in locomotion assistance off. The reduction of assistance on was 7.1% compared with no exosuit. CONCLUSIONS The proposed soft exosuit has the potential to improve the walking efficiency of the elderly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Fang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Wujing Cao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Chunjie Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhuo Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xinyu Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Robotics and Intelligent System, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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