Wearable Flexible Sensor Supported Lower Body Exoskeleton System

In this project, a novel wearable exoskeleton with flexible clothing will be developed for the use of paraplegic persons who have lost their lower extremity motor functions due to low back pain, paralysis and similar disturbances. This prototype will be designed as a rigid-link exoskeleton that is actuated via series-elastic actuators. The user’s physical state will be observed using soft elements attached to a wearable sensorized clothing, which will be used in conjunction with the exoskeleton. Trajectory planning will be explored by a human-to-robot skill transfer problem to minimize the metabolic cost. Stability and balance analyses will run, and environmental factors will be estimated to provide safe walking support to the human using a hierarchical control structure.