A Challenge: Support of Standing Balance in Assistive Robotic Devices

Abstract

Neurological patients using a powered lower-body exoskeleton for rehabilitation of standing and walking skills in an upright body pose face the safety challenge of postural instability and fall. Current research, therefore, develops exoskeletons with self-balancing functions. This study suggests basing the exoskeleton’s stabilization of standing posture on a human-derived postural control mechanism. A corresponding control system has previously been successfully tested with specific balancing tasks in humanoid robots. Here, we provide a short introduction into the control method and, using a lightweight robot, present as a test of the balancing an experimental shift in the body weight distribution (as if, e.g., a human exoskeleton user was raising an arm or leaning the upper body or lifting an external weight). An overview of other specific balancing tests previously already investigated in humans and humanoids is also briefly mentioned. Overall, the tests will allow the quantification of the capabilities of self-balancing exoskeletons developed for patients with partial paralysis of lower body sensorimotor functions.

Walking with UAN.GO Exoskeleton: Training and Compliance in a Multiple Sclerosis Patient

“…Despite this, on analyzing the data obtained from the comparison of the Borg values, a progressive decrease in the perception of fatigue was noted. This decrease was also due to the reduction in fear related to improved safety in the use of the device; these data are compliant with recent works in the literature [39][40][41][42][43]. Regarding motor performance, on studying the data obtained from the comparison between the first session and the end of treatment, an improvement was observed in 6MWT, in accordance with the present literature [44][45][46].…”

EXOSMOOTH: Test of Innovative EXOskeleton Control for SMOOTH Assistance, With and Without Ankle Actuation

“…In the state-ofart, there are some attempts of solving the torque discontinuities problem applying a time-constant to the switching operation but this has not been tested across a consistent subjects' population yet [7], [8]. b) Ankle actuation: Actuated ankle provides possibilities for advanced control and also to study balance control [9]. On the other hand, the possibility to reduce the number of actuated joints in a lower limb exoskeleton will lead to a cost reduction of the device itself, making it more advantageous on the market.…”

Active Loading Control Design for a Wearable Exoskeleton with a Bowden Cable for Transmission

“…The second focuses on assisting patients or elderly people with a partial decline in their motion performance [3,4]. The third is an exoskeleton [5,6] that is suitable for the rehabilitation training of patients with a near-loss walking ability. To reduce the impact of heavy loads on humans, weight-bearing is usually transferred to the ground [2].…”

“…To reduce the impact of heavy loads on humans, weight-bearing is usually transferred to the ground [2]. The body balance of patients also needs to be supported by the rehabilitation of their exoskeleton [5]. The structures of these exoskeletons are usually rigid and run parallel to the limbs.…”