Optimizing Exoskeleton Assistance for Faster Self-Selected Walking

Human-in-the-loop optimization of exoskeleton assistance during walking.

Exoskeletons and active prostheses promise to enhance human mobility, but few have succeeded. Optimizing device characteristics on the basis of measured human performance could lead to improved designs. We have developed a method for identifying the exoskeleton assistance that minimizes human energy cost during walking. Optimized torque patterns from an exoskeleton worn on one ankle reduced met...

Design of a Walking Assistance Lower Limb Exoskeleton for Paraplegic Patients and Hardware Validation Using CoP

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...

Manipulating self-selected gait patterns with an adaptive exoskeleton

Neurological injuries, such as stroke, result in weakened neural connections to distal muscles, specifically those that act about the ankle. Consequently, post-stroke patients experience gait deficiencies, which reduce stability and increase the overall energetic cost of walking [1,2]. Gait rehabilitation techniques have been developed to help patients relearn normal gait patterns by encouragin...

Muscle-tendon mechanics explain unexpected effects of exoskeleton assistance on metabolic rate during walking.

The goal of this study was to gain insight into how ankle exoskeletons affect the behavior of the plantarflexor muscles during walking. Using data from previous experiments, we performed electromyography-driven simulations of musculoskeletal dynamics to explore how changes in exoskeleton assistance affected plantarflexor muscle-tendon mechanics, particularly for the soleus. We used a model of m...

Muscle - tendon mechanics explain unexpected effects of 1 exoskeleton assistance on metabolic rate during walking