Conceptual design and virtual prototyping of a wearable upper limb exoskeleton for assisted operations

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel upper limb robotic exoskeleton designed to assist industrial operators in a wide range of manual repetitive tasks, such as tool handling and lifting/moving of heavy items. Due to its reduced size and high maneuverability, the proposed portable device may also be employed for rehabilitation purposes (e.g. as an aid for people with permanent neuromuscular diseases or post-stroke patients). Its primary function is to compensate the gravity loads acting on the human shoulder by means of a hybrid system consisting of four electric motors and three passive springs. The paper focuses on the exoskeleton mechanical design and virtual prototyping. After a preliminary review of the existent architectures and procedures aimed at defining the exoskeleton functional requirements, a detailed behavioral analysis is conducted using analytical and numerical approaches. The developed interactive model allows to simulate both kinematics and statics of the exoskeleton for every possible movement within the design workspace. To validate the model, the results have been compared with the ones achieved with a commercial multibody software for three different operator’s movements.

Upper limb soft robotic wearable devices: a systematic review

“…We believe that the integration of passive systems such as springs, clutches, and brakes in active devices could be beneficial in the decrease of energy consumption and weight of the device. Although only preliminary results were found in this review, this suggestion can be supported by literature on upper limb stiff exoskeletons that include passive elements in their design [ 9 , 82 , 83 ].…”

IDeS Method Applied to an Innovative Motorbike—Applying Topology Optimization and Augmented Reality

“…Aside from physical prototyping, there is another type of method that can be used: this is virtual prototyping. Compared to its real counterpart, virtual prototyping has some peculiarities and important advantages, has been used in great-scale ambient mock-ups in maritime [36], aircraft design [37,38], and even medical fields [39]. In fact, while a real, physical model can be preferred to understand proportions and geometries of a model, it takes a lot of time and effort to make it look like the real model, for example, regarding materials and finishings.…”