Exoskeleton

Emulator-Based Optimization of a Semi-Active Hip Exoskeleton Concept: Sweeping Impedance Across Walking Speeds

Emulator-Based Optimization of a Semi-Active Hip Exoskeleton Concept: Sweeping Impedance Across Walking Speeds

Emulator-Based Optimization of a Semi-Active Hip Exoskeleton Concept: Sweeping Impedance Across Walking Speeds 782 430 IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (TBME)
This is the first study to optimize semi-active hip exoskeleton assistance across walking speeds to reduce metabolic cost. We found personalization is important and online tuning can focus on minimizing local muscle activity. read more

Improving the Energy Cost of Incline Walking and Stair Ascent with Ankle Exoskeleton Assistance in Cerebral Palsy

Author(s)3: Ying Fang, Greg Orekhov, Zachary F. Lerner
Improving the Energy Cost of Incline Walking and Stair Ascent with Ankle Exoskeleton Assistance in Cerebral Palsy 150 150 IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (TBME)
Graded walking terrains pose significant mobility challenges for individuals with movement disorders, including those with cerebral palsy (CP). We tested the ability of a novel battery-powered ankle exoskeleton to improve stair, incline, and real-world mixed-terrain walking in seven individuals with CP. Adaptive ankle assistance improved the energy cost of steady-state incline walking by 14% and stair ascent by 21% compared to walking without the device. This is the first study to demonstrate safety and performance benefits of ankle exoskeleton assistance on graded terrains in CP, and it encourages future studies to evaluate assistance on mixed-terrain walking in free-living environments. read more

Teleoperation of an ankle-foot prosthesis with a wrist exoskeleton

Author(s)3: Cara Gonzalez Welker, Vincent Louie Chiu, Alexandra Voloshina, Steven H. Collins, Allison M. Okamura
Teleoperation of an ankle-foot prosthesis with a wrist exoskeleton 150 150 IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (TBME)
This work aims to mimic sensorimotor control pathways disrupted after amputation with a system that allows a user to teleoperate their ankle-foot prosthesis with a wrist exoskeleton while receiving augmented sensory feedback. We present a novel wrist exoskeleton design and two control strategies that dictate ankle prosthesis behavior based on wrist input. We validate all system components with benchtop testing and demonstrate that one individual with transtibial amputation can accurately command desired wrist trajectories while walking. Systems like this have the potential to provide insight into human motor control and improve functional gait metrics for people with lower-limb amputation. read more

A Hybrid Robotic System for Arm Training of Stroke Survivors: Concept and First Evaluation

Author(s)3: Emilia Ambrosini, Johannes Zajc, Simona Ferrante, Giancarlo Ferrigno, Stefano Dalla Gasperina, Maria Bulgheroni, Walter Baccinelli, Thomas Schauer, Constantin Wiesener, Michael Russold, Margit Gfohler, Markus Puchinger, Matthias Weber, Sebastian Becker, Karsten Krakow, Nancy Immick, Andreas Augsten, Mauro Rossini, Davide Proserpio, Giulio Gasperini, Franco Molteni, Alessandra Pedrocchi
A Hybrid Robotic System for Arm Training of Stroke Survivors: Concept and First Evaluation 170 177 IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (TBME)

                      This work describes a hybrid robotic system for arm recovery after stroke, combining EMG-triggered Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) with a passive exoskeleton for upper limb suspension. The system was…

read more

Design and Characterization of an Exoskeleton for Perturbing the Knee During Gait

Author(s)3: Michael R. Tucker, Camila Shirota, James S. Sulzer, Olivier Lambercy, Roger Gassert
Design and Characterization of an Exoskeleton for Perturbing the Knee During Gait 170 177 IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (TBME)

The human knee joint displays a wide range of mechanical behaviors, enabling efficient and robust locomotion under varying conditions. With the rise of active and semi-active knee assistive devices (e.g.,…

read more