Structural design and analysis of a lower limb exoskeleton for elderly

Rehabilitation of the elderly is often limited to restoration of the ability to perform as many activities of daily living. Mobility is identified as most essential rehabilitation required for elderly. Sit-to-stand (STS) manoeuvre is a common aspect of mobility. In this paper, a lower limb exoskeleton is designed to assist elderly during STS cycle. The design of lower limb exoskeleton is tested for its structural strength. The mechanical design of the exoskeleton can adapt to varying body shapes (height, weight and waist circumference) of elderly. Static structural analysis for stand position is carried out in Ansys workbench to find whether the design can withstand a maximum load during the static condition. Modal analysis was done to find the natural frequency vibration of the design and the deformation of the exoskeleton with respect to the mode vibrations.