Control units are usually pre-programmed for specific tasks, although modern exoskeletons are becoming increasingly adaptive. Some are equipped with algorithms that learn from users’ actual work behavior to better support their actions.
However, assistance that exoskeletons provide generally falls into three categories.
Power augmentation increases the user’s power abilities. This is commonly seen in assisted exoskeletons such as those used by IKEA and in Ukraine.
Assist as needed or resist as needed settings offer the body only support when needed. This setting is often used in rehabilitation devices to help users train their bodies to recover lost abilities.
Finally, there is full robot control, where the exoskeleton takes complete control over a part of the body. This is rather for users who have lost certain motor functions. For example, a lower body exoskeleton could use full robotic control to help someone with spinal cord injury walk.
These ways of working can be combined and adapted according to the specific task, environment and needs of the user.
What’s next?
For now, most exoskeletons rely on feedback from sensors to define how they exoskeletons behave; are very mechanical. But in the future, exoskeletons may be operated with signals from the wearer’s muscles or brain. Research is exploring this, but it remains a challenge. The use of these signals may require an invasive interface and extensive user-specific calibration and adaptation.
Power is another current challenge. The batteries must be integrated into exoskeletons and recharged regularly. This introduces weight and size limitations that affect practicality. However, the energy density of batteries is constantly improving.
New materials also push the boundaries of what is possible. Exoskeletons are being developed that are made of soft textile or rubber-like materials that can be integrated into clothing, shoes or protective equipment.
Research on exoskeletons in the 1960s and 1970s contributed to the development of the first humanoid bipedal robots. This has come full circle. Interest in humanoid robotics is now accelerating the development of actuators and batteries. These will foreshadow the wearable robotic technologies of tomorrow.
Ildar Farkhatdinov, Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Engineering (Robotics and Mechatronics), King’s College London. This article is released from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.