IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2014 - 22

Stronger,
Smarter,
Softer
Next-Generation
Wearable Robots

By Alan T. Asbeck, Stefano M.M. De Rossi,
Ignacio Galiana, Ye Ding, and Conor J. Walsh

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2014.2360283
Date of publication: 19 December 2014

22

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IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

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DECEMBER 2014

HARVAR
D BIODE
SIGN LA
B

H

umans have long dreamed of and
created ways to improve our strength,
speed, and endurance through
wearable assistive devices. Science
fiction authors have inspired our
imaginations with remarkable exoskeleton
devices like those worn in Robert Heinlein's
Starship Troopers and that worn by Marvel
Comics' Iron Man, and many researchers have
spent countless hours and resources toward
making these machines a reality. One
particular area of interest is that of devices to
assist the lower body for tasks such as walking,
running, and supporting heavy loads. The vast majority
of these are rigid exoskeletons, with links in parallel with the
body that can impart torques to the joints, support compressive
forces, and, in many cases, transmit loads to the ground.
Some exoskeletons have enabled individuals to walk if they
were not able to previously, supporting their entire body weight
or a large percentage of it [1]-[3], while others are designed to
help able-bodied individuals walk while expending less energy
[4]-[9], assist impaired individuals [15], or characterize the
impedance of a wearer's joints [16]. Other approaches have
been to assist with load carriage by providing a parallel path to

the ground, thereby offloading the wearer's musculature [10]-
[12], and some systems also provide gait rehabilitation in conjunction with a treadmill [6], [13], [14]. Each of these systems'
operation has been possible through a large number of clever
and innovative design features and control schemes.
Nevertheless, exoskeletons still present a number of ongoing challenges, including: 1) rigid links with pin joints resist
the movement of the biological joints if they are not perfectly
aligned [17] and 2) exoskeletons require bulky self-aligning
mechanisms [17]-[19]. Rigid systems also have the problem
of large inertia; in particular, adding mass to the legs distally
1070-9932/14©2014IEEE



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2014

IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2014 - Cover1
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IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2014 - Cover3
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2014 - Cover4
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