Lower limb exoskeletons some examples of application

Abstract

Lower limb exoskeletons are wearable mechanical or mechatronic equipment developed as augmentative devices that work in concert with the user's movements to provide physical assistance through torques or structural support. The exoskeleton moves with the user and can act actively or passively, adding strength to the wearer. In addition, they allow maintaining human dexterity, agility, and adaptability (Bär et al., 2021). Depending on the field of application, these devices can be separated into two main categories: assistive and augmentation exoskeletons. Thus, assistive exoskeletons are designed to assist/replace the impaired parts of the users, restore physical movements, increase independence, and improve patients quality of life. Alternatively, augmentation exoskeletons can be found in industries to improve ergonomics, reduce the risk of exposure to demanding working conditions, prevent work accidents, reduce users’ acute physical stress and strain and increase the operator's efficiency. As well as in military tasks to allow soldiers to carry heavy equipment while walking. Due to its wide use in various applications and the exponentially growing number of research studies in this area, the primary purpose of this article is to provide state of the art regarding lower limb exoskeletons, giving some examples of their general present-day use.Keywords: lower limb exoskeletons; assistive exoskeletons; augmentation exoskeletonsBär, M., Steinhilber, B., Rieger, M. A., & Luger, T. (2021). The influence of using exoskeletons during occupational tasks on acute physical stress and strain compared to no exoskeleton – A systematic review and meta-analysis. Applied Ergonomics, 94. http://10.0.3.248/j.apergo.2021.103385