Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Branesh M. Pillai, Peerapat Owatchaiyapong, Shen Treratanakulchai, Dileep Sivaraman, Songpol Ongwattanakul, Jackrit Suthakorn
Summary: Statistics show that spinal cord injury is a major cause of disability in Thailand. A lower-limb exoskeleton was developed to assist individuals with spinal cord injuries. The exoskeleton uses a spring and camshaft system to reduce required energy and has the ability to analyze brain and eye signals for control. The exoskeleton has shown promising results in improving mobility and quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injuries.
Article
Mechanics
Olga Jarzyna, Dariusz Grzelczyk, Bartosz Stanczyk, Jan Awrejcewicz
Summary: This article presents a simple prototype and control system of a lower limb exoskeleton driven by stepper motors, and develops a three-dimensional simulation model to study its kinematic parameters. Additionally, a gait pattern is modeled for hip, knee, and ankle joints.
MECHANICS BASED DESIGN OF STRUCTURES AND MACHINES
(2021)
Review
Thermodynamics
Jinman Zhou, Shuo Yang, Qiang Xue
Summary: Lower limb rehabilitation exoskeleton robots (LLRERs) play a positive role in rehabilitation and assistance for patients with lower limb disorders, with a need for further research and improvement to enhance adaptability and clinical significance.
ADVANCES IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Mark Andrew Wright, Franziska Herzog, Anna Mas-Vinyals, Alfons Carnicero-Carmona, Joan Lobo-Prat, Cornelia Hensel, Steffen Franz, Norbert Weidner, Joan Vidal, Eloy Opisso, Ruediger Rupp
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the safety, feasibility, and usability of the ABLE Exoskeleton for individuals with spinal cord injury in clinical settings. The results show that safe gait training with the ABLE Exoskeleton in hospital settings improves clinical outcomes for persons with SCI. The study protocol allows for consistent comparison with other exoskeleton trials and can serve as a framework for standardizing early clinical evaluations.
JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Qiaoling Meng, Qingxin Zeng, Qiaolian Xie, Cuizhi Fei, Bolei Kong, Xuhua Lu, Haibin Wang, Hongliu Yu
Summary: This review focuses on the development and innovation process of flexible lower limb exoskeletons (FLLE) in the past decade. The classification, driving modes, advantages, and disadvantages of FLLE are comprehensively summarized. The future development direction of FLLE is lightweight and drive compliance, combined with sensory feedback control theory to reduce energy consumption.
NEUROREHABILITATION
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Chaoyang Zhang, Ning Li, Xiali Xue, Xia Lu, Danjie Li, Qiaomei Hong
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the walking efficiency of lower limb exoskeleton gait orthosis and mechanical gait orthosis in patients with spinal cord injury. The results showed that both types of orthosis had positive effects on improving gait outcomes in patients. However, due to the diversity of study designs and methodologies, meta-analysis was not possible, and more high-quality studies are needed to confirm the findings.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Habib Mohamad, Sadjaad Ozgoli
Summary: The development of lower limb exoskeletons has attracted significant interest recently, with two types being commonly used for gait rehabilitation and human locomotion assistance. However, there are still challenges in trajectory generation for online controlling of the exoskeleton, especially considering human intention and specific conditions. In this paper, an online gait generation method is proposed, utilizing three trajectory generator blocks for different phases of walking. The performance analysis and simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of these trajectory generator blocks, which were further validated through experimental tests on a healthy subject using the Exoped(R) exoskeleton in various scenarios.
ROBOTICS AND AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Slavka Net'ukova, Martin Bejtic, Christiane Mala, Lucie Horakova, Patrik Kutilek, Jan Kauler, Radim Krupicka
Summary: This article introduces the important criteria for sensors used in exoskeletons and the usage of various sensor types. It outlines the possibilities and limitations of special medical signal sensors and suggests potential directions for future exoskeleton developments.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Fangshi Zhu, Marcie Kern, Erin Fowkes, Taimoor Afzal, Jose-Luis Contreras-Vidal, Gerard E. Francisco, Shuo-Hsiu Chang
Summary: This study found that using a powered exoskeleton for gait training can alter neuromuscular coordination in stroke patients, especially on the paretic side. However, after training, the complexity, module composition, and activation timing of neuromuscular coordination remained unchanged.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Du-Xin Liu, Jing Xu, Chunjie Chen, Xingguo Long, Dacheng Tao, Xinyu Wu
Summary: In this article, a vision-assisted autonomous lower-limb exoskeleton robot (VALOR) is developed to improve adaptability to complex walking environments. Through environmental information acquisition and autonomous decision-making, the robot can significantly enhance its adaptability. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified in a controlled indoor environment.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SYSTEMS MAN CYBERNETICS-SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Marianna Semprini, Tiziana Lencioni, Wiebke Hinterlang, Christian Vassallo, Silvia Scarpetta, Stefano Maludrottu, Riccardo Iandolo, Marta Care, Matteo Laffranchi, Michela Chiappalone, Maurizio Ferrarin, Lorenzo De Michieli, Johanna Jonsdottir
Summary: The study aimed to identify the end-users needs and develop a user-centered-based control system for the TWIN lower limb exoskeleton to provide post-stroke rehabilitation. The developed TWIN-Acta control suite received good usability and acceptability ratings from clinical experts, showing potential for gait rehabilitation. The main limitation was low system learnability, which can be improved with prolonged training.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Richa Sharma, Prerna Gaur, Shaurya Bhatt, Deepak Joshi
Summary: This study focuses on the development of a cost-effective lower limb exoskeleton for restoring normal gait in individuals with mobility disorders, stroke, or elderly persons. It uses the dragon fly algorithm to optimize the fuzzy logic control and compares it with genetic algorithm for closed-loop control design. Experimental data validation and robustness testing indicate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategies, especially in bipedal walking scenarios.
APPLIED SOFT COMPUTING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Bin Ren, Zhiqiang Zhang, Chi Zhang, Silu Chen
Summary: This paper proposes a neural network and LSTM machine learning model method to predict the actual movement trajectory of the human body's lower limbs. A wearable joint angle measurement device is designed for gait trajectory prediction and control. Experimental results demonstrate the high accuracy of this method, which has practical significance for predicting the trajectory of the lower limb exoskeleton.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liliana Elena Stanciu, Madalina Gabriela Iliescu, Liliana Vladareanu, Alexandra Ecaterina Ciota, Elena-Valentina Ionescu, Claudia Ileana Mihailov
Summary: This study aims to determine the importance and/or use of hydrotherapy in the therapeutic management of spinal cord injury patients. The analysis of several databases between 2000 and 2021 found only four scientific publications supporting the benefits of hydrotherapy for SCI patients, but the limited number of studies requires more standardized methodology to prove the improvements in lower limb functioning. Clinical trials in the future are necessary.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jesus De Miguel-Fernandez, Miguel Salazar-Del Rio, Marta Rey-Prieto, Cristina Bayon, Lluis Guirao-Cano, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, Joan Lobo-Prat
Summary: This study validated the feasibility of using shank-worn IMUs for clinical gait analysis after stroke and evaluated their preliminary applicability in designing an automatic and adaptive controller for a knee exoskeleton. The results showed that IMUs have the potential to be used in designing automatic and adaptive exoskeleton control strategies for stroke patients.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Miriam Febrer-Nafria, Benjamin J. Fregly, Josep M. Font-Llagunes
Summary: The study explores the use of optimal control-based predictive simulation to personalize knee trajectory parameters for spinal cord injured individuals using active orthoses. Experimental data and simulations suggest potential benefits in improving gait patterns for these patients by adjusting knee angle trajectories.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROROBOTICS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Andres M. Cardenas, Juliana Uribe, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, Alher M. Hernandez, Jesus A. Plata
Summary: This study aimed to determine the effects of transfemoral prosthesis alignment on ground reaction forces and thermal images of the residual limb. The results showed that alignment affected the heat diffusion on the stump skin and the ground reaction force parameters of the prosthetic limb.
Editorial Material
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Francisco Romero-Sanchez, Luciano Luporini Menegaldo, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, Massimo Sartori
FRONTIERS IN NEUROROBOTICS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Jesus de Miguel-Fernandez, Camille Pescatore, Alba Mesa-Garrido, Cindy Rikhof, Erik Prinsen, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, Joan Lobo-Prat
Summary: Recent studies have shown that ankle exoskeletons can improve gait biomechanics and walking performance for post-stroke individuals. This comprehensive experimental analysis and protocol evaluated a wide range of metrics and showed that the ABLE-S exoskeleton significantly corrected foot drop, reduced compensatory movements, and improved gait patterns.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Marleny M. M. Vega, Geng Li, Mohammad S. S. Shourijeh, Di Ao, Robert C. C. Weinschenk, Carolynn Patten, Josep M. M. Font-Llagunes, Valerae O. O. Lewis, Benjamin J. J. Fregly
Summary: This study used a personalized neuromusculoskeletal model to predict the impact of ipsilateral psoas muscle strength on walking function following internal hemipelvectomy with custom prosthesis reconstruction. The results suggest that retention and strengthening of the psoas muscle on the operated side may be important for maximizing post-surgery walking function.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Shadman Tahmid, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, James Yang
Summary: Cerebrovascular accidents like a stroke can affect both lower limb and upper extremity joints, hindering the ability to produce torque for daily activities. Researchers have developed computational methods, such as EMG-driven modeling, to estimate muscle forces and joint torques. This study investigates the EMG-driven approach with an upper extremity musculoskeletal model to determine muscle forces and joint torques for tasks involving the biceps brachii and triceps brachii muscles.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Mechanics
Miriam Febrer-Nafria, Ali Nasr, Mahdokht Ezati, Peter Brown, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, John McPhee
Summary: This paper provides a comprehensive review of research on the predictive multibody dynamic simulation of human movements over the past decade. It discusses the applications of this simulation method in various fields such as clinical practice, medical and assistive device design, sports, and industrial ergonomics. The review covers multibody models of human neuromusculoskeletal systems, simulation approaches using optimal control methods, and modeling and optimal control software. Future research directions are also suggested.
MULTIBODY SYSTEM DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Antonio Rodriguez-Fernandez, Joan Lobo-Prat, Rafael Tarrago, Diego Chaverri, Xavier Iglesias, Lluis Guirao-Cano, Josep M. Font-Llagunes
Summary: This study compared the effectiveness of a knee-powered lower limb exoskeleton against conventional knee-ankle-foot orthoses in individuals with spinal cord injury. The knee-powered exoskeleton showed improvement in gait kinematics but did not significantly enhance walking performance or reduce energy consumption in comparison to passive orthoses.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Mark Andrew Wright, Franziska Herzog, Anna Mas-Vinyals, Alfons Carnicero-Carmona, Joan Lobo-Prat, Cornelia Hensel, Steffen Franz, Norbert Weidner, Joan Vidal, Eloy Opisso, Ruediger Rupp
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the safety, feasibility, and usability of the ABLE Exoskeleton for individuals with spinal cord injury in clinical settings. The results show that safe gait training with the ABLE Exoskeleton in hospital settings improves clinical outcomes for persons with SCI. The study protocol allows for consistent comparison with other exoskeleton trials and can serve as a framework for standardizing early clinical evaluations.
JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Jesus de Miguel-Fernandez, Joan Lobo-Prat, Erik Prinsen, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, Laura Marchal-Crespo
Summary: In the past decade, there has been progress in the development of robotic controllers for lower-limb exoskeletons to interact with brain-injured patients. However, the most effective control strategies for motor function recovery are still uncertain. This review provides a framework of current control strategies, analyzes the methodology of clinical validations, and explores the relation between control strategies and clinical outcomes.
JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Jesus de Miguel Fernandez, Marta Rey-Prieto, Miguel Salazar-Del Rio, Helena Lopez-Matas, Lluis Guirao-Cano, Josep M. M. Font-Llagunes, Joan Lobo-Prat
Summary: This study investigated how stroke individuals responded to training with a knee exoskeleton (ABLE-KS) using assistance and resistance modes and auditory feedback. The results showed significant improvements in peak knee flexion, minimum knee angle during stance, paretic single support time, and gait endurance after the two weeks of training.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL SYSTEMS AND REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Biomedical
Jesus de Miguel-Fernandez, Camille Pescatore, Alba Mesa-Garrido, Cindy Rikhof, Erik Prinsen, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, Joan Lobo-Prat
Summary: Recent studies have shown the feasibility of ankle exoskeletons for post-stroke gait rehabilitation. This study developed an ABLE-S exoskeleton that provided time-adapted ankle assistance and conducted comprehensive experimental analysis to evaluate its effects. The results demonstrated significant improvement in gait biomechanics for post-stroke individuals.
2022 9TH IEEE RAS/EMBS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIOMEDICAL ROBOTICS AND BIOMECHATRONICS (BIOROB 2022)
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Biomedical
Rodrigo J. Velasco-Guillen, Victor Grosu, Bram Vanderborght, Josep M. Font-Llagunes, Philipp Beckerle
Summary: This study proposes a stiffness-fault-tolerant control strategy for elastic actuators with non-linear compliant characteristics and demonstrates its ability to track reference trajectories and adapt to stiffness changes through experiments.
2022 9TH IEEE RAS/EMBS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIOMEDICAL ROBOTICS AND BIOMECHATRONICS (BIOROB 2022)
(2022)
