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.
Highlights
Consider a patient with stroke or incomplete spinal cord injury who uses a powered exoskeleton as an assistive device for the training of residual lower body sensorimotor skills
Up to the exoskeleton deal with this of information along with the impaired in therequired patients,for it balancing is up to theand exoskeleton deal with this information along with the motor actions proactive to movements
Confidence in successful control of stance stabilization is crucial for physical training with an exoskeleton
Summary
Consider a patient with stroke or incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) who uses a powered exoskeleton as an assistive device for the training of residual lower body sensorimotor skills (with additional beneficial effects of bringing the body upright for blood pressure regulation and bowel functions; overview in [1,2,3]). A major aim in this research field is to provide the control torque adjustments in the ankle, knee and hip joints of the exoskeleton required for voluntary action and the standing balance (unconsidered remain here targeted foot placements as an additional constituent of maintaining walking balance). This paper, suggests using a method for the sensorimotor control of the exoskeleton that is human-derived and complies by and large to human habits and expectations This human-derived sensorimotor controller with proactive and reactive (self-balancing) properties is described in the following in abbreviated form. It has previously already been implemented into humanoid robots for proof of principle (showing, for example, that it tolerates ‘real world’ noise and inaccuracies and copes with external and self-produced disturbances). We present it in abbreviated form and test its functionality using a novel experimental paradigm
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