Interaction-based rapid heuristic optimization of exoskeleton assistance during walking.

ABSTRACT: Using human responses to optimize and thus personalize assistance enhances exoskeleton performance during locomotion. Current approaches lack efficiency, comfort, rapid deployability, and computation and actuation simplicity. Here we present a method that optimizes assistance within 2 min, 16 times faster than the state-of-the-art, by effectively imitating human joint moment while ensuring stability. Optimization of a unilateral ankle exoskeleton with off-board actuation produced gentler assistance (78.2% torque) while reducing muscle activity by 36.8% and metabolic cost by 20.4% than no assistance, comparable to state-of-the-art. The method was easily and effectively deployed across new gait conditions, to bilateral devices, to knee joints and also outdoors. It largely avoided the problem

SUBMITTER: Chen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12855885 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature