Biarticular muscles in light of template models, experiments and robotics: a review

Schumacher, Christian; Sharbafi, Maziar Ahmad; Seyfarth, André; Rode, Christian

doi:10.1098/rsif.2018.0413

Cited by 33 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 168 publications

(325 reference statements)

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“…This indicates that the human lower limbs, as well as the joints, have high mutual dependency, such that to perform the desired transitions, their behavior is synchronized. Such a synchronization could be the result of the human gait control or the mechanical coupling of the joints [ 31 ]. Interestingly, we could identify some trends for the joint related transition timing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lower limb joint biomechanics-based identification of gait transitions in between level walking and stair ambulation

et al. 2020

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Lower limb exoskeletons and lower limb prostheses have the potential to reduce gait limitations during stair ambulation. To develop robotic assistance devices, the biomechanics of stair ambulation and the required transitions to level walking have to be understood. This study aimed to identify the timing of these transitions, to determine if transition phases exist and how long they last, and to investigate if there exists a joint-related order and timing for the start and end of the transitions. Therefore, this study analyzed the kinematics and kinetics of both transitions between level walking and stair ascent, and between level walking and stair descent (12 subjects, 25.4 yrs, 74.6 kg). We found that transitions primarily start within the stance phase and end within the swing phase. Transition phases exist for each limb, all joints (hip, knee, ankle), and types of transitions. They have a mean duration of half of one stride and they do not last longer than one stride. The duration of the transition phase for all joints of a single limb in aggregate is less than 35% of one stride in all but one case. The distal joints initialize stair ascent, while the proximal joints primarily initialize the stair descent transitions. In general, the distal joints complete the transitions first. We believe that energy- and balance-related processes are responsible for the joint-specific transition timing. Regarding the existence of a transition phase for all joints and transitions, we believe that lower limb exoskeleton or prosthetic control concepts should account for these transitions in order to improve the smoothness of the transition and to thus increase the user comfort, safety, and user experience. Our gait data and the identified transition timings can provide a reference for the design and the performance of stair ambulation- related control concepts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lower limb joint biomechanics-based identification of gait transitions in between level walking and stair ambulation

et al. 2020

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“…61 Facilitating control with compliant biarticular actuators: Studies on 62 biomechanics of human gaits and robotics show that biarticular muscles help to 63 generate motions in a more energy efficient way [34,42]. In fact, these muscles actuate 64 two joints simultaneously, transfer the energy towards distal joints and further control 65 the output force direction [34,43], [35]. Given these features, biarticular assistive devices 66 can be more effective in reducing energy consumption during walking.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Several examples 67 for successful applications of the biarticular elements in designing assistive devices can 68 be found in the literature [10,37,44,45]. Different aspects of analyzing biarticular 69 muscles from template modeling and biological locomotor systems to legged robot and 70 assistive devices are reviewed in [35]. Moreover, adding compliance in a serial elastic 71 actuation mechanism provides further advantages against the common method of using 72 direct-drive motors for exosuit.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…More quantitative 540 (Oxygen consumption, EMG and kinematic) measurements with more subject are 541 required to identify the assistance level. rarely applied to assistive devices [35]. 3) Feedback signal: using the ground reaction 550 force as a sensory feedback for control in locomotion which was inspired by 551 biomechanical studies [41,49] is applied for the first time in a soft wearable exosuit.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…608 Developing an exosuit with compliant biarticular actuators is our solution to regain 609 these benefits. With biarticularity, transferring energy from one joint to another enables 610 the system to reduce energy consumption [35]. Moreover, adding compliance in a serial 611 elastic actuation mechanism provides further advantages such as, recoiling energy, 612 increasing robustness (e.g., at impacts), reducing peak power and required torques of 613 the electric motors.…”

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From a biological template model to gait assistance with an exosuit

Firouzi

Davoodi

Bahrami

et al. 2020

Preprint

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By invention of soft wearable assistive devices, known as exosuits, a new aspect in assisting unimpaired subjects is introduced. In this study, we designed and developed an exosuit with compliant biarticular thigh actuators, called BAExo. Unlike common method of using rigid actuators in exosuits, the BAExo is made of serial elastic actuators (SEA) resembling artificial muscles (AM). This bioinsipred design is complemented by the novel control concept of using the ground reaction force to adjust these AMs' stiffness in the stance phase. By locking the motors in the swing phase the SEAs will be simplified to passive biarticular springs, which is sufficient for leg swinging. The key concept in our design and control approach is synthesizing human locomotion to develop assistive device, instead of copying the outputs of human motor control. Analysing human walking assistance using an experiment-based OpenSim model demonstrates the advantages of the proposed design and control of BAExo, regarding metabolic cost reduction and efficiency of the system. In addition, pilot experiments with the recently developed BAExo hardware support the applicability of the introduced method. Author summaryAging and mobility of elderly people are of crucial concern in developed countries. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that by the middle of the 21st century, about 80 million Americans will be 65 or older. According to the group's research, medical costs resulting from falls by the elderly are expected to approach $32.4 billion by 2020. Therefore, assistance of elderly people and making the assistive devices more intelligent is a need in near future. However, this is not the only application of assistive devices. Exosuits, as soft wearable robots, introduced a new aspect in assisting a large range of population, even healthy young people. We introduce a novel design and control method for a new exosuit. As the research in the field of wearable assistive devices is growing in recent years and its application in daily life becomes more evident for the society, such studies with a unique view in design and control could have a significant impact. Our proposed biologically inspired approach could be potentially applied to other exosuits. Introduction 1 Lower limb exoskeletons for assisting people with decreased locomotion abilities has 2 attracted the attention of researchers [1] and the healthcare industry [2, 3]. Assistive 3 March 21, 2020 1/24 6 about aging. For example, by aging, muscle force and power decrease and to reduce the 7 cost of elderly and patients locomotion, assistive devices are demanded [6, 7]. 8 One of the common goals of assistive device designers is to reduce the metabolic cost 9 of locomotion [8]. This feature is important in all above-mentioned cases and situations. 10 In the last couple of years researchers have succeeded in significantly improving the 11 metabolic cost reduction in human gaits using powered exoskeletons [1,[9][10][11]. 12Powered exoskeletons can be categorized as (1) traditional ones with rigid stru...

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Passive Compliance in Legged Systems and Assistive Devices

Seyfarth

2021

Biosystems &Amp; Biorobotics

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Biarticular muscles in light of template models, experiments and robotics: a review

Cited by 33 publications

References 168 publications

Lower limb joint biomechanics-based identification of gait transitions in between level walking and stair ambulation

Lower limb joint biomechanics-based identification of gait transitions in between level walking and stair ambulation

From a biological template model to gait assistance with an exosuit

Passive Compliance in Legged Systems and Assistive Devices

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