An Integrated Type and Dimensional Synthesis Method to Design One Degree-of-Freedom Planar Linkages With Only Revolute Joints for Exoskeletons

​Zefang Shen; Garry Allison; Lei Cui
 J. Mech. Des. 2018; 140(9):092302-092302-12
doi: 10.1115/1.4040486

Exoskeletons are wearable robots developed to assist the wear’s motion. In rehabilitation, such devices can help patients relearn natural motion after surgery, spinal cord injury, stroke, etc. Compared with conventional rehabilitation, exoskeleton-based rehabilitation can provide highly stable and repetitive movements. However most current devices are bulky and heavy, which limits their application in clinical settings. In this paper, we propose a method to design compact and lightweight planar linkages for exoskeletons with multiple output joints, while requiring only one actuator. Candidate linkages are generated and then evaluated to obtain the optimal design of the linkages. Applying this method, we have developed an index finger exoskeleton and a leg exoskeleton for rehabilitation, both of which are compact and portable. Their simplicity in design also increase the affordability for exoskeleton devices, which can facilitate applications outside clinical settings.

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