An Adjustable Compliant Joint for Lower-Limb Exoskeletons


Autoria(s): Cestari Soto, Manuel; Sanz Merodio, Daniel; Arévalo, Juan Carlos; García, Elena
Data(s)

01/04/2015

Resumo

The field of exoskeletons and wearable devices for walking assistance and rehabilitation has advanced considerably over the past few years. Currently, commercial devices contain joints with stiff actuators that cannot adapt to unpredictable environments. These actuators consume more energy and may not be appropriate for human-machine interactions. Thus, adjustable compliant actuators are being cautiously incorporated into new exoskeletons and active orthoses. Some simulation-based studies have evaluated the benefits of incorporating compliant joints into such devices. Another reason that compliant actuators are desirable is that spasticity and spasmodic movements are common among patients with motor deficiencies; compliant actuators could efficiently absorb these perturbations and improve joint control. In this paper, we provide an overview of the requirements that must be fulfilled by these actuators while evaluating the behavior of leg joints in the locomotion cycle. A brief review of existing compliant actuators is conducted, and our proposed variable stiffness actuator prototype is presented and evaluated. The actuator prototype is implemented in an exoskeleton knee joint operated by a state machine that exploits the dynamics of the leg, resulting in a reduction in actuation energy demand and better adaptability to disturbances.

Formato

application/pdf

Identificador

http://oa.upm.es/40895/

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

E.T.S.I. Industriales (UPM)

Relação

http://oa.upm.es/40895/1/INVE_MEM_2015_223616.pdf

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6826501

DPI2010-18702

info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1109/TMECH.2014.2324036

Direitos

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Fonte

IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, ISSN 1083-4435, 2015-04, Vol. 20, No. 2

Palavras-Chave #Robótica e Informática Industrial
Tipo

info:eu-repo/semantics/article

Artículo

PeerReviewed