Abstract
As population increases, there is a significant rise in cases of weak muscles and impaired nerves for elderly age group. In literature, several lower extremity exoskeleton devices (LEEDs) have been developed to assist the elderly people in the activities of daily living (ADL). However, due to design and cost constraints, users are unable to access these devices in many developing countries. Therefore, there is an emergent need to develop an affordable lower extremity exoskeleton device with cost-effective design features. This work presents the design factors associated with the development of the lower extremity exoskeleton device for motion assistance. At first, a market survey regarding awareness, type, functionality, safety factors, and cost of the exoskeleton device is carried out. A list of design aspects, required for the development of a LEED, is prepared according to the survey responses. Thereafter, an 8-DOF lower extremity exoskeleton is primarily designed in SOLIDWORKS software for motion assistance and gait rehabilitation. However, after consulting with institute physiotherapy and manufacturing staffs, few design aspects, like material selection of links, reduction in transverse DOF, placement of hip, as well as knee actuator and support on wheeler stand, are modified for cost-effectiveness of the exoskeleton device and physiological safety of the user. At last, a final design of the 6-DOF exoskeleton device as a proof of concept is presented and compared with the preliminary design based on cost involved in various components.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, for starting the initiative PRISM (Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Startups and MSMEs), under which this project is carried out. The authors are grateful to the amiable support of medical therapist Mr. Kandarpa Jyoti Das, IIT Guwahati, in performing the research experiments.
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Narayan, J., Kalani, A., Dwivedy, S.K. (2021). Lower Extremity Exoskeleton Device for Motion Assistance and GaitRehabilitation: Design Considerations. In: Hussain, C.M., Di Sia, P. (eds) Handbook of Smart Materials, Technologies, and Devices. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58675-1_25-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58675-1_25-1
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