A simulation study on the control of lower extremity exoskeleton for assistance of human locomotion

The best feature of the exoskeleton system is a symbiotic relationship between the wearer and the exoskeleton. To form perfect symbiotic relationship, the exoskeleton should exactly detect wearer's intention to move. Earlier studies have proposed a variety of methods to detect the wearer's intention and control methods using them. However, existing methods are highly dependent on the additional sensor systems and precise dynamic models. In this paper, we propose a novel control method of lower extremity exoskeleton for assistance of human locomotion. The control method is motivated by examining the human locomotion. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we develop a simple mathematical model to simulate the stance phase of human locomotion and conduct the simulation. Our preliminary study shows that the proposed control method can effectively decrease the net external mechanical work performed by legs.