Systematic Review of Exoskeletons towards a General Categorization Model Proposal

Abstract

Exoskeletons are an essential part of humankind’s future. The first records regarding the subject were published several decades ago, and the field has been expanding ever since. Their developments will be imperative for humans in the coming decades due to our constant pursuit of physical enhancement, and the physical constraints the human body has. The principal purpose of this article is to formalize research in the field of exoskeletons and introduce the field to more researchers in hopes of expanding research in the area. Exoskeletons can assist and/or aid in the rehabilitation of a person. Recovery exoskeletons are mostly used in medical and research areas; performance exoskeletons can be used in any area. This systematic review explains the precedents of the exoskeletons and gives a general perspective on their general present-day use, and provides a general categorization model with a brief description of each category. Finally, this paper provides a discussion of the state-of-the-art, and the current control techniques used in exoskeletons.

Artificial Intelligence-Based Wearable Robotic Exoskeletons for Upper Limb Rehabilitation: A Review

“…There is also a need for the integration of greater expertise across multiple disciplines, and the inclusion of medical judgement from therapists or rehabilitation specialists to provide critical feedback regarding the assessment and validation of patients when using robotic rehabilitation systems. This allows the clinical evaluation of technological developments to be relevant, effective and under standardised protocols by qualified professionals [104].…”

Design, Development, and Testing of an Intelligent Wearable Robotic Exoskeleton Prototype for Upper Limb Rehabilitation

“…In general, some reviews have shown recent advances developed all over the world in rehabilitation technology applied to different segments of the human body. The paper presented by De La Tejera, et al [ 34 ] stands out as a good starting point to understand the different classifications and types of robotic exoskeletons available today. This article provides an overview of their use in rehabilitation along with an analysis of the control techniques used in the devices.…”

Review on Control Strategies for Lower Limb Rehabilitation Exoskeletons

“…On the other hand, it provides robotic guidance to human especially who needs motion assistance. Keywords 'exoskeleton' and 'powered' mean the device is built by rigid structure and it contains active joint(s) respectively [1]. Powered exoskeletons are categorized into human augmentation exoskeletons and rehabilitation exoskeletons.…”

“…While the latter can offer greater assistive torque, offload the body weight and output torque to the ground, and thus suits patients with more severe lower limb impairments [31]. For more information on exoskeletons that are beyond the scope of this paper, readers are referred to [1], [32]. On the other hand, control strategies are categorized according to similarities within the whole strategy, which encompasses 1) HMI input; 2) high-level trajectory optimization or selection; and more emphatically 3) the mid-level core control algorithms; and 4) low-level kinematic or torque tracking.…”