A Novel User Control for Lower Extremity Rehabilitation Exoskeletons

This paper introduces a new way to control lower extremity exoskeletons using hand movements to mimic natural leg movements. The user applies forces to trekking poles which in turn moves the exoskeleton. The system converts the forces applied by the hands into desired foot positions, allowing users to control the exoskeleton in real-time. Sensory feedback through the poles allows corrections for gait. The preliminary results of this novel control system shows that the users can generate a exoskeleton gait pattern that is similar to biological ambulation.

• 1
  The admittance-control-based system allows users to control foot trajectories with hand-generated forces and sensed foot kinematics in real-time.
• 2
  The time delay of the control mechanism is below 10 ms, ensuring smooth and stable movement of the robot.
• 3
  Participants maintained inter-limb temporal, spatial, and step height symmetry close to 1 across all trials, similar to that observed in human gait.