{"title":"AES-SEA and Bionic Knee Based Lower Limb Exoskeleton Design and LQR-virtual Tunnel Control","authors":"Yi Long, Zhibin Cai, Hexiao Guo","doi":"10.1007/s42235-025-00678-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The lower limb assisted exoskeleton is a prominent area of research within the field of exoskeleton technology. However, several challenges remain, including the development of flexible actuators, high battery consumption, the risk of joint misalignment, and limited assistive capabilities. This paper proposes a compact flexible actuator incorporating two elastic elements named Adjustable Energy Storage Series Elastic Actuator (AES-SEA), which combining an adjustable energy storage device with a series elastic actuator for application in exoskeleton hip joints. This design aims to enhance energy efficiency and improve assistive effects. Subsequently, we introduce a novel knee joint bionic structure based on a pulley-groove configuration and a four-link mechanism, designed to replicate human knee joint motion and prevent joint misalignment. Additionally, we propose an innovative controller that integrates concepts from Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control and virtual tunnel for level walking assistance. This controller modulates the assisted reference trajectory using the virtual tunnel concept, enabling different levels of assistance both inside and outside the tunnel by adjusting the parameters <span>\\(Q\\)</span> and <span>\\(R\\)</span>. This approach enhances the assisting force while ensuring the safety of human-computer interaction. Finally, metabolic experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the exoskeleton assistance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":614,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Bionic Engineering","volume":"22 3","pages":"1231 - 1248"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Bionic Engineering","FirstCategoryId":"94","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42235-025-00678-9","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The lower limb assisted exoskeleton is a prominent area of research within the field of exoskeleton technology. However, several challenges remain, including the development of flexible actuators, high battery consumption, the risk of joint misalignment, and limited assistive capabilities. This paper proposes a compact flexible actuator incorporating two elastic elements named Adjustable Energy Storage Series Elastic Actuator (AES-SEA), which combining an adjustable energy storage device with a series elastic actuator for application in exoskeleton hip joints. This design aims to enhance energy efficiency and improve assistive effects. Subsequently, we introduce a novel knee joint bionic structure based on a pulley-groove configuration and a four-link mechanism, designed to replicate human knee joint motion and prevent joint misalignment. Additionally, we propose an innovative controller that integrates concepts from Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control and virtual tunnel for level walking assistance. This controller modulates the assisted reference trajectory using the virtual tunnel concept, enabling different levels of assistance both inside and outside the tunnel by adjusting the parameters \(Q\) and \(R\). This approach enhances the assisting force while ensuring the safety of human-computer interaction. Finally, metabolic experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the exoskeleton assistance.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Bionic Engineering (JBE) is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research papers and reviews that apply the knowledge learned from nature and biological systems to solve concrete engineering problems. The topics that JBE covers include but are not limited to:
Mechanisms, kinematical mechanics and control of animal locomotion, development of mobile robots with walking (running and crawling), swimming or flying abilities inspired by animal locomotion.
Structures, morphologies, composition and physical properties of natural and biomaterials; fabrication of new materials mimicking the properties and functions of natural and biomaterials.
Biomedical materials, artificial organs and tissue engineering for medical applications; rehabilitation equipment and devices.
Development of bioinspired computation methods and artificial intelligence for engineering applications.