Towards a Modular Elbow Exoskeleton: Concepts for Design and System Control

Abstract

In industrial workplaces, strenuous, repetitive, and long-term tasks at head level or above as well as carrying heavy loads may lead to musculoskeletal disorders of different task dependent body parts. With an increasing trend towards wearable support systems, there is already a large quantity of exoskeletons that may support the user during movements, or stabilize postures, in order to reduce strain on various parts of the body. However, most commercially available exoskeletons mainly focus on the back and shoulder support. Only a few of them address the elbow joint, despite it being prone to injury. Therefore, this paper discusses different possible design and control concepts of modular elbow exoskeletons. The modular architecture potentially enables coupling to existing commercial- and research-associated systems, through appropriate interfaces. Different morphological structures and control mechanisms are assessed in respect to their ability to extend common exoskeletons for back and shoulder support. Based on these considerations, a first functional passive prototype is presented, which supports the flexion of the elbow joint and can be coupled to an existing exoskeleton. In future work, the prototype may be used for further elaboration and practical investigations in laboratory settings to evaluate its technical functionality and biomechanical effects on the user.

The Influence of Circular Physical Human–Machine Interfaces of Three Shoulder Exoskeletons on Tissue Oxygenation

“…They are targeted to carry, lift, and grip heavy loads, stabilize prone work postures, or allow sitting in any situation. Depending on their purpose, occupational exoskeletons are primarily designed to support one body region, e.g., back [2], shoulder [3], elbow [4], or hand [5].…”