Assisting walking balance using a bio-inspired exoskeleton controller.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Balance control is important for mobility, yet exoskeleton research has mainly focused on improving metabolic energy efficiency. Here we present a biomimetic exoskeleton controller that supports walking balance and reduces muscle activity.

Methods

Humans restore balance after a perturbation by adjusting activity of the muscles actuating the ankle in proportion to deviations from steady-state center of mass kinematics. We designed a controller that mimics the neural control of steady-state walking and the balance recovery responses to perturbations. This controller uses both feedback from ankle kinematics in accordance with an existing model and feedback from the center of mass velocity. Control parameters were estimated by fitting the experimental relation between

SUBMITTER: Afschrift M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10303867 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature