Exoskeleton active assistance strategy for human muscle activation reduction during linear and circular walking

Abstract

The exoskeleton is employed to assist humans in various domains including military missions, rehabilitation, industrial operation, and activities of daily living (ADLs).Walking is a fundamental ADL, and exoskeletons are capable of reducing the activation and metabolism of lower extremity muscles through active assistance during walking. To improve the performance of active assistance strategy, this article proposes a framework using an active hip exoskeleton. Subsequently, it correlates to an already established Bayesian-based human gait recognition algorithm, with a particular focus on linear and circular walking within industrial and ADL contexts. In theorizing this strategy for exoskeletons, this study further reveals, in part, the activation characteristics of human hip muscles for the instruction and regulation of active assistance duration and onset timing. This proposed active assistance strategy provides new insights for enhancing the performance of assistive robots and facilitating human robot interaction within the context of ADLs.

Keywords

Human-robot interaction / Hip exoskeleton / Muscle activation / Walking assistance

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