Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)

The existing Exoskeleton arms in general suffer from a number of drawbacks including: High cost, Excessive weight, High power consumption, Accommodate only slow motion, Bulky packaging and lack of ergonomics, Limited maneuverability due to high volume of wiring and Lack of user friendly Human-Machine Interfaces for data handling.x000D
The specific challenges to control and stability for these exoskeletons are: Static and dynamic stability in 3 dimensions during different phases of motion, Computationally expensive control algorithms due to the large number of actuated degrees of freedom which results in control complexity, high cost of the device, and high power consumption, Haptic interface control with maximum transparency and enhancement of the system, transparency to give the user realistic sense of interaction with the Exoskeletons as possible. x000D
The goal of the proposed project is to enhance the performance of the exoskeleton's power supply system as well as the sensor-actuator mechanisms that, together, form the driving platform of the Exoskeleton. The proposed work will improve performance for the Exoskeletons through mechanic and sensor optimization, and development of suitable power systems. The intention is to have a battery powered, motor driven, robotic pair of hands intended primarily for use in rehabilitation and mobility enhancement. The product works through a combination of various sensors to promote a pattern that is similar to that of healthy individuals. The robotx000D
represents a technology that aims to improve rehabilitation and recovery of individuals with paraplegia and stroke, or older people. As assistive or empowering exoskeletons, it could also be used in military and mining industry. In such applications, the aim is to enhance human power to allow manipulation of heavy loads and performing physically strenuous works.