Mechanism Structure Synthesis, Kinematic and Dynamic Analysis of Hip Exoskeleton Robots with the Misalignment Compensation

Abstract

Abstract Exoskeleton robots offer considerable potential for improving human performance, like walking, running, and ascending or descending stairs. However, misalignment between the human and exoskeleton robots can result in discomfort caused by undesired torque and relative motion. This study aims to enhance human-exoskeleton interaction (HEI) by optimizing mechanism design to facilitate alignment. The study commences with the mechanism structure synthesis of the hip exoskeleton robot (HER), followed by kinematic and dynamic analysis and simulation of HEI. The experimental findings reveal that the designed HER can achieve misalignment compensation (MC) displacements in the 0 to 18.3 mm range. Compared to HER assistance without MC, the proposed design improves the assistance efficiency by 47.22%, significantly improving wearing comfort. This study is a foundation for integrating advanced sensing and intelligent control systems into exoskeleton robot mechanisms, facilitating broad applications in rehabilitation and motion enhancement.