Configuration Design and Analysis of Reconfigurable Supernumerary Robotic Legs for Multitask Adaptation: SuperLegs

Abstract

Supernumerary robotic limbs (SRLs) are a new type of wearable robot that add artificial limbs to the human body to perform collaborative tasks. In contrast with exoskeletons, SRLs are kinematically independent of human limbs, allowing the wearer to overcome the limitations of human physiological ability, such as realizing the expansion of space in the human body, rather than enhancing existing limbs. In this study, a lightweight and compact hexagonal reconfigurable lower‐limb SRL system is proposed to assist human locomotion in daily activities, including walking, crouching, and stair climbing. To adapt to multiple scenarios, the hexagonal mechanism can be adjusted to different configurations including convex hexagonal configuration, pentagonal configuration, and concave hexagonal configuration. To achieve more optimized performance of different configurations, the optimization for identifying the optimal dimensions of each link was carried out. Subsequently, the detailed design methodology and specifics are presented. Finally, the load and wearing performance experiments were evaluated. The experiment results demonstrated that the tested maximum load in different configurations exceeded 90% of the simulated value and the entire equipment has a good wearing adaptability. This study may inspire the design of other lower‐limb SRLs and provide efficient solutions for stable support assistance in various scenarios.