A Compact and Portable Exoskeleton for Shoulder and Elbow Assistance for Workers and Prospective Use in Space

Samper-Escudero, Jose Luis; COLOMA CHACON, Sofia; OLIVARES MENDEZ, Miguel Angel; Gonzalez, Miguel Angel Sanchez-Uran; Ferre, Manuel

doi:10.1109/THMS.2022.3186874

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A Compact and Portable Exoskeleton for Shoulder and Elbow Assistance for Workers and Prospective Use in Space

Samper-Escudero, Jose Luis; COLOMA CHACON, Sofia; OLIVARES MENDEZ, Miguel Angel et al.

2023 • In IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, 53 (4), p. 668 - 677

Peer reviewed

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https://hdl.handle.net/10993/64929

DOI
10.1109/THMS.2022.3186874

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Keywords :

Assistive robot; compliant mechanism; compliant robot; exoskeleton; exosuit; textile-based; upper limbs; Assistive robots; Compliant robot; Elbow; Exoskeleton; Exosuit; Mechanical; Mechanical cable; Shoulder; Textile-based; Upper limbs; Human Factors and Ergonomics; Control and Systems Engineering; Signal Processing; Human-Computer Interaction; Computer Science Applications; Computer Networks and Communications; Artificial Intelligence; Exoskeletons; Muscles; Clamps; Mechanical cables; Fabrics

Abstract :

[en] Exoskeletons are wearable robotic devices that surround the anatomy of the user to work in tandem with it. Depending on their structure, exoskeletons can be classified as rigid or flexible. The structure of flexible exoskeletons is made of soft materials, such as fabrics, which adapt to user motion. Therefore, these devices are prone to becoming misaligned with the user, due to improper fitting and slipping of the exoskeleton components on the user body. This article describes a cable-driven exosuit, called LUXBIT, that favors its anatomical adaption to the user by arranging the fabric fibers and sewing patterns to transfer the mobilizing forces. This prototype integrates a novel deformable mechanism that promotes the natural lifting of the arm. LUXBIT is intended for bimanual assistance in daily living, being equipped with a backpack to this end. The results analyzed in this article show that LUXBIT reduces muscle activity in the upper limbs' flexion by ratios of up to 13.17% and allows the user to hold tiring postures for 62.91% longer.

Disciplines :

Engineering, computing & technology: Multidisciplinary, general & others

Author, co-author :

Samper-Escudero, Jose Luis ^✱; Robotics, UPM-CSIC, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Centre for Automation, Madrid, Spain

COLOMA CHACON, Sofia ^✱; University of Luxembourg > Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT) > Space Robotics

OLIVARES MENDEZ, Miguel Angel ^✱; University of Luxembourg > Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SNT) > Space Robotics

Gonzalez, Miguel Angel Sanchez-Uran ^✱; Robotics, UPM-CSIC, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Centre for Automation, Madrid, Spain

Ferre, Manuel ^✱; Robotics, UPM-CSIC, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Centre for Automation, Madrid, Spain

^✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work.

External co-authors :

yes

Language :

English

Title :

A Compact and Portable Exoskeleton for Shoulder and Elbow Assistance for Workers and Prospective Use in Space

Publication date :

August 2023

Journal title :

IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems

ISSN :

2168-2291

Publisher :

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

668 - 677

Peer reviewed :

Peer reviewed

Additional URL :

http://xplorestaging.ieee.org/ielx7/6221037/10197479/09825721.pdf?arnumber=9825721

Funders :

LUXBIT: Lightweight Upper limbs eXosuit for BImanual Task Enhancement/Exoesqueleto ligero del tren superior para ayuda a tareas bimanuales
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades

Funding text :

his work was supported by the project LUXBIT: Lightweight Upper limbs eXosuit for BImanual Task Enhancement/Exoesqueleto ligero del tren superior para ayuda a tareas bimanuales under GrantRTI2018- 094346-BI00, funded by the Spanish "Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades". This paper was presented in part at the 2nd IEEE International Conference on Human-Machine Systems, Magdeburg, Germany, September 2021 [DOI: 10.1109/ICHMS53169.2021.9582447].

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