Assistive Strategies for a Back Support Exoskeleton: Experimental Evaluation

An important open challenge in robotic assistive exoskeletons is how to control them to maximize their physical benefits on users. We addressed this challenge on a back support exoskeleton in a preliminary user study, which evaluated three possible assistive strategies on a lifting task. One strategy modulated the assistance on the posture of the torso. The two additional direct strategies assisted proportionally to forearm electromyography and grip pressure on the fingertip, respectively.

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