A User Interface System with See-Through Display for WalkON Suit: A Powered Exoskeleton for Complete Paraplegics

Hyunjin Choi,Kyoungchul Kong,Byeonghun Na,Jangmok Lee

doi:10.3390/app8112287

Abstract

In the development of powered exoskeletons for paraplegics due to complete spinal cord injury, a convenient and reliable user-interface (UI) is one of the mandatory requirements. In most of such robots, a user (i.e., the complete paraplegic wearing a powered exoskeleton) may not be able to avoid using crutches for safety reasons. As both the sensory and motor functions of the paralyzed legs are impaired, the users should frequently check the feet positions to ensure the proper ground contact. Therefore, the UI of powered exoskeletons should be designed such that it is easy to be controlled while using crutches and to monitor the operation state without any obstruction of sight. In this paper, a UI system of the WalkON Suit, a powered exoskeleton for complete paraplegics, is introduced. The proposed UI system consists of see-through display (STD) glasses and a display and tact switches installed on a crutch for the user to control motion modes and the walking speed. Moreover, the user can monitor the operation state using the STD glasses, which enables the head to be positioned up. The proposed UI system is verified by experimental results in this paper. The proposed UI system was applied to the WalkON Suit for the torch relay of the 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympics.

Highlights

Walking is one of the most fundamental activities that enables a person to be an active member of our society, but it is the key to maintain the health condition [1]
For people who have completely lost their walking ability due to spinal cord injury, it is mandatory to stand up and perform walking motions frequently with the help of assistive devices to maintain the health condition. In this aspect, powered exoskeletons provide the complete paraplegic with the possibility to walk on the real ground, which is meaningful for rehabilitation of complete paraplegics, as well as their mobility
The WalkON Suit is a robot developed for complete paraplegics and aimed at allowing the wearer to walk freely in the outdoors and had showed its possibilities through events such as Cybathlon 2016 and the Pyeongchang Paralympics Games 2018

Summary

Introduction

Walking is one of the most fundamental activities that enables a person to be an active member of our society, but it is the key to maintain the health condition [1]. For people who have completely lost their walking ability due to spinal cord injury, it is mandatory to stand up and perform walking motions frequently with the help of assistive devices [2]) to maintain the health condition In this aspect, powered exoskeletons provide the complete paraplegic with the possibility to walk on the real ground, which is meaningful for rehabilitation of complete paraplegics, as well as their mobility. Powered exoskeletons have been developed by many researchers in recent years, and several robots have been commercialized [3]. Wheelchairs can improve the mobility of patients with complete paralyses, but they cannot provide standing postures and bipedal walking, which are important for healthcare. Many other robotic exoskeletons are being developed and commercialized [10,11]

Methods

Results

Conclusion