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Design and control of a lower-limb exoskeleton emulator for accelerated development of gait exoskeletons
Heer, Kyle B.
Heer, Kyle B.
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2017
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Robotic exoskeletons for gait assistance carry the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life for individuals with hemiparesis resulting from a stroke. This thesis presents the design and implementation of a modular lower-limb exoskeleton emulator: a new research platform intended for accelerated research into and development of lower-limb exoskeletons. The device features five lightweight, modular braces for human interface with ten total lower-limb degrees of freedom. Braces are actuated by four off-board motors via Bowden-cable transmission. A closed-loop controller utilizing high-frequency real-time measurements provides accurate and responsive torque application to the wearer. A versatile control software model featuring real-time gait event detection has been developed and verified with preliminary experimentation conducted with the emulator. Future investigations with the device will inform the design of a novel assistive, multi-joint body-powered leg exoskeleton for hemiparetic gait assistance.
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