A Lightweight Powered Hip Exoskeleton With Parallel Actuation For Frontal and Sagittal Plane Assistance.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  IEEE Transactions on Robotics : A Publication of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, 2025, v. 41: A Lightweight Powered Hip Exoskeleton With Parallel Actuation For Frontal and Sagittal Plane Assistance.
• Journal Article:
  IEEE Transactions on Robotics : A Publication of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
• Personal Author:
  Archangeli, Dante ; Ortolano, Brendon ; Murray, Rosemarie ; Gabert, Lukas ; Lenzi, Tommaso
• Description:
  Wearable robots and powered exoskeletons may improve ambulation for millions of individuals with poor mobility. Powered exoskeletons primarily assist in the sagittal plane to improve walking efficiency and speed. However, individuals with poor mobility often have limited mediolateral balance, which requires torque generation in the frontal plane. Existing hip exoskeletons that assist in both the sagittal and frontal planes are too heavy and bulky for use in the real world. Here we present the kinematic model, mechatronic design, and benchtop and human testing of a powered hip exoskeleton with a unique parallel kinematic actuator. The exoskeleton is lightweight (5.3 kg), has a slim profile, and can generate 30 N·m and 20 N·m of torque during gait in the sagittal and frontal planes. The exoskeleton torque density is 5.7 N·m/kg-53% higher than previously possible with series kinematic design. Testing with five healthy subjects indicate that frontal plane torques applied during stance or swing can alter step width, while sagittal plane torque can assist with hip flexion and extension. A device with these characteristics may improve both gait economy and balance in the real world.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Exoskeleton Device
  • Healthy Volunteers
  • Torque
  • Wearable Electronic Devices
  • Walking
  • Gait
• Keywords:
  • Parallel robots
  • physically assistive devices
  • prosthetics and exoskeletons
  • wearable robots
• Source:
  IEEE Transactions on Robotics : A Publication of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, 2025, v. 41
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1109/tro.2025.3539172
• ISSN:
  1552-3098 ; 1941-0468
• Pubmed ID:
  40123650
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11926883
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  T32 TR004394/TR/NCATS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T42 OH008414/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Pages in Document:
  1-17 (42 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  41
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/261577/cdc_261577_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.96 MB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e4149c17dec715c339bb780919eb076986a644c02251e8e7696cc926b98d106920f19899125fd08262b4cf9f5c507555d0eee7ac541a3acc360f6def669f465c