Design of Multifunctional Assistive Devices with Various Arrangements of Gravity Compensation

Abstract

AbstractWhen designing portative assistive linkage devices such as active and/or passive exoskeletons and movable orthoses the static gravity balancing of links from acting gravitational forces and their moments becomes essential for assuring their portability. The increasing of degree of mobility of devices increases their functionality, but it increases also the number of necessary balancing units. From this point of view, the use of springs is more desirable, since they provide a force balancing with small increasing of moving masses. Moreover, the application of regulating mechanisms that control the action-direction of springs and, by this, allow the use of one spring for different functional purposes can be a solution to the above problems.In this paper, the number of constructive schemes of the multipurpose portable movable orthoses and exoskeletons for assisting to human different locomotion functions: walking, sitting, holding and lifting, are proposed, their static balancing methods and approaches, comparative numerical analysis, advantages and disadvantages are given. In addition, the proposed approaches and solutions are universal and can be used in the design of assistive devices, as well as in industrial manipulators.KeywordsAssistive deviceExoskeletonMovable orthosesGravity balancingSpring