Development of a soft wearable robotic garment with fabric-based pneumatic artificial muscles for muscle support and postural alignment

Abstract

Abstract A soft wearable robotic garment was developed to support lumbar muscle function and postural alignment by using cell-structured fabric pneumatic artificial muscles (cfPAMs). The actuator was constructed from two types of lightweight thermoplastic polyurethane-coated nylon fabrics and was designed with a flexible structure to enhance the contraction and force output. The performance of three actuator configurations (3-cell, 6-cell, and 8-cell) was evaluated in terms of contraction ratio, force generation, and response time. The 8-cell actuator exhibited the highest performance across these metrics. The actuator was integrated into a garment and tested in a user study involving 22 female participants. Surface electromyography of the lumbar erector spinae indicated a reduction in muscle activity during trunk flexion with actuator inflation relative to noninflated and control conditions. A trend toward a reduced full-body tilt was observed, and the user satisfaction was high, particularly for safety and functionality. These findings underscore the potential of cfPAM-based garments for daily musculoskeletal support.