Robotic exoskeletons for reengaging in everyday activities: promises, pitfalls, and opportunities

Abstract

Available devices appear to be better suited for rehabilitation settings than for home use. Device weight, the need for upper extremity supports, supervision requirements, and a limited range of movements are all issues that limit functionality and restrict opportunities for using such devices in real-world contexts. Designing the next generation of exoskeletons to be more useful in everyday life will require further collaboration among engineers, clinicians, and patients. Implications for Rehabilitation Exoskeletons offer the promise of allowing individuals with neurological injury to reengage in everyday activities from a standing position. Several exoskeleton devices are currently available for use in the United States. Weight of exoskeleton devices, the need for upper extremity supports, supervision requirements of hone units, and a limited range of movements are issues that restrict opportunities for using such devices in real-world contexts. Further development of exoskeleton technologies is warranted to improve the devices for real-world use.

Exoskeleton home and community use in people with complete spinal cord injury

“…Yet, daily life entails much more than just the usage in a gym-based setting. According to Fritz et al 20 , home and community use entails engaging in age normative and meaningful activities such as meeting friends at a pub, attending a graduation ceremony, performing one's job, or going on holiday 20 . In addition to these social activities, home and community use also entails household chores such as cooking or doing the laundry.…”

“…Some expected challenges for community exoskeleton use are the limited gait speed, the heavy weight during transport, and the need of a buddy 18,22 . Only when users had an exoskeleton at their disposal in the community, the full range of problematic scenarios and safety concerns become apparent 20 . Such information is an important step for further exoskeleton development.…”

Actuating Textiles: Next Generation of Smart Textiles

“…We can take exoskeletons as an example. While the progress in exoskeleton is impressive and commercial exoskeletons for (re-)habilitation [85] are available, they still look and feel like wearing a "robot-suit." It would be more user-friendly if such assistive devices could be shaped as a piece of clothing, like a pair of tights with integrated textile actuators to assist the wearer in walking.…”

Hand neuro-motor characterization and motor intention decoding in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

“…As we manipulate objects primarily through our hands, neurological injuries and disorders affecting the upper extremity [2] highly impair one's ability to interact with the external world. In this context, robotic exoskeletons have been long developed for restoring impaired motor functions [1], [132], due to their potential in promoting active user participation [133], independence [134] and potential suitability for home rehabilitation [135].…”

“…Important causes are the slow translation of robotic exoskeletons from laboratories to clinical setting, where clinical trials can further assess their efficacy [136], and the fact that the broad use of exoskeletons for daily or home use has not been consistently translated from the laboratory to the clinic [82], [142], [143]. Additionally, the lack of natural and intuitive human-machine interfaces (HMI), presents an important challenge for the future, indicating that the use of robotic exoskeletons in the real world requires significant improvements before it can be realised [134] [144].…”