Myoelectric or Force Control? A Comparative Study on a Soft Arm Exosuit

Lotti, Nicola; Xiloyannis, Michele; Missiroli, Francesco; Bokranz, Casimir; Chiaradia, Domenico; Frisoli, Antonio; Riener, Robert; Masia, Lorenzo

doi:10.1109/tro.2021.3137748

Cited by 29 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…In [ 35 ], a myoprocessor was designed based on an EMG-driven musculoskeletal model to estimate joint torque, which could guarantee adaptive assistance to the elbow movement when holding different loads. In subsequent research, the authors further analyzed how assistance magnitude will affect muscular benefits with the myoprocessor [ 124 ] and compared it with a force control [ 125 ], which proved the effectiveness and advancement of this method. Furthermore, a torque estimation-based control strategy [ 22 ] took advantage of mechanomyography to obtain expected output of joints, and then established a torque closed loop to achieve motion assistance.…”

Section: Key Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Wearable Robots: Development Status and Technical Challenges

Shi

Dong

Lin

et al. 2022

Sensors

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In recent years, more and more research has begun to focus on the flexible and lightweight design of wearable robots. During this process, many novel concepts and achievements have been continuously made and shown to the public, while new problems have emerged at the same time, which need to be solved. In this paper, we give an overview of the development status of soft wearable robots for human movement assistance. On the basis of a clear definition, we perform a system classification according to the target assisted joint and attempt to describe the overall prototype design level in related fields. Additionally, it is necessary to sort out the latest research progress of key technologies such as structure, actuation, control and evaluation, thereby analyzing the design ideas and basic characteristics of them. Finally, we discuss the possible application fields, and propose the main challenges of this valuable research direction.

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Section: Key Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Wearable Robots: Development Status and Technical Challenges

Shi

Dong

Lin

et al. 2022

Sensors

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“…In regard to upper-limb speed requirements, according to [24], the elbow flexion and extension movement bandwidth for ADLs (activities of daily living) is in the range of 0.05Hz, and 0.5Hz. In the experiments performed in that work, the elbow speed in this kind of tasks achieved a maximum speed of 150deg/s, which is a 120% of the elbow speed in ADLs [25].…”

Section: E Influence Of Error In Speed Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictor-Based Current Limitation Method for a DC Motor-Actuated Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Exoskeleton

Pont-Esteban¹,

Sánchez-Urán²,

Contreras-Gonzalez³

et al. 2022

IEEE Access

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Current limitation is crucial to protect DC motors from overheating in overload situations. This consideration is more critical in applications that involve the movement of variable loads, such as exoskeleton applications, where there exists dynamic human-robot interaction. This work presents a software current limitation method based on a continuous DC motor model predictor. By predicting, according to the motor model, the voltages that would make the current match a threshold, the proposed method dynamically saturates the maximum voltages applicable to the motor to maintain the current under the predefined threshold. Using this method, a full-time current limitation can be obtained, but if desired, it also allows current peaks of configurable duration. Only motor parameters need to be known for the application of this algorithm, and it is easily adjustable to different DC motor models. Stand-alone motor tests show an effective limitation of current, achieving up to a 98.04% of maximum current when limited. The method has also been successfully validated in a rehabilitation exoskeleton application with four participants, obtaining an average current of 92.34% of current threshold when limited.

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“…The recent introduction of soft robotic suits, with their lightweight and higher ergonomics, motivates many researchers to develop haptic interfaces by considering such a technology [ 13 ]. Nevertheless, these garments adopt sensors and actuators able to develop advanced human-machine interfaces [ 14 , 15 ] with the human-in-the-loop. The inclusion of the wearer in the real-time control framework achieves a bidirectional sharing of information with the device that can be used for haptic feedback.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rendering Immersive Haptic Force Feedback via Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

Galofaro

D’Antonio

Lotti

et al. 2022

Sensors

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Haptic feedback is the sensory modality to enhance the so-called “immersion”, meant as the extent to which senses are engaged by the mediated environment during virtual reality applications. However, it can be challenging to meet this requirement using conventional robotic design approaches that rely on rigid mechanical systems with limited workspace and bandwidth. An alternative solution can be seen in the adoption of lightweight wearable systems equipped with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES): in fact, NMES offers a wide range of different forces and qualities of haptic feedback. In this study, we present an experimental setup able to enrich the virtual reality experience by employing NMES to create in the antagonists’ muscles the haptic sensation of being loaded. We developed a subject-specific biomechanical model that estimated elbow torque during object lifting to deliver suitable electrical muscle stimulations. We experimentally tested our system by exploring the differences between the implemented NMES-based haptic feedback (NMES condition), a physical lifted object (Physical condition), and a condition without haptic feedback (Visual condition) in terms of kinematic response, metabolic effort, and participants’ perception of fatigue. Our results showed that both in terms of metabolic consumption and user fatigue perception, the condition with electrical stimulation and the condition with the real weight differed significantly from the condition without any load: the implemented feedback was able to faithfully reproduce interactions with objects, suggesting its possible application in different areas such as gaming, work risk assessment simulation, and education.

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Myoelectric or Force Control? A Comparative Study on a Soft Arm Exosuit

Cited by 29 publications

References 54 publications

Soft Wearable Robots: Development Status and Technical Challenges

Soft Wearable Robots: Development Status and Technical Challenges

Predictor-Based Current Limitation Method for a DC Motor-Actuated Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Exoskeleton

Rendering Immersive Haptic Force Feedback via Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

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