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Quantifying The Human-Robot Interaction Forces Between A Lower Limb Exoskeleton And Healthy Users

Rathore, A; Wilcox, M; Ramirez, DZM; Loureiro, R; Carlson, T; (2016) Quantifying The Human-Robot Interaction Forces Between A Lower Limb Exoskeleton And Healthy Users. In: Wheeler, B and Wang, MN, (eds.) 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2016): Proceedings. (pp. pp. 586-589). IEEE Green open access

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Abstract

To counter the many disadvantages of prolonged wheelchair use, patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are beginning to turn towards robotic exoskeletons. However, we are currently unaware of the magnitude and distribution of forces acting between the user and the exoskeleton. This is a critical issue, as SCI patients have an increased susceptibility to skin lesions and pressure ulcer development. Therefore, we developed a real-time force measuring apparatus, which was placed at the physical human-robot interface (pHRI) of a lower limb robotic exoskeleton. Experiments captured the dynamics of these interaction forces whilst the participants performed a range of typical stepping actions. Our results indicate that peak forces occurred at the anterior aspect of both the left and right legs, areas that are particularly prone to pressure ulcer development. A significant difference was also found between the average force experienced at the anterior and posterior sensors of the right thigh during the swing phase for different movement primitives. These results call for the integration of instrumented straps as standard in lower limb exoskeletons. They also highlight the potential of such straps to be used as an alternative/complementary interface for the high-level control of lower limb exoskeletons in some patient groups.

Type: Proceedings paper
Title: Quantifying The Human-Robot Interaction Forces Between A Lower Limb Exoskeleton And Healthy Users
Event: EMBC 2016, 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 16-20 August 2016, Orlando, Florida, USA
Location: Orlando, FL
Dates: 16 August 2016 - 20 August 2016
ISBN-13: 9781457702198
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1109/EMBC.2016.7590770
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1109/EMBC.2016.7590770
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Exoskeletons, Force, Sensors, Legged locomotion, Thigh, Skin
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci > Department of Ortho and MSK Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Computer Science
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1508503
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