Characterizing force capability and stiffness of hip exosuits under different anchor points

Abstract

Exosuits have been broadly researched owing to their benefits from soft and deformable nature. However, compared to exoskeletons, the exosuits have disadvantages in that the deformation of suit and human tissue can cause dissipation, leading to low force transfer efficiency. In this study, we explore the force capability and human-suit stiffness depending on the anchor point positions of the exosuit, introducing a better understanding of exosuit design. We found the relationships between the anchor point position and the force capability, and the anchor point position and the human-suit stiffness by conducting human subject experiments. When the distance between the anchor point of the waist belt and the anchor point of the thigh brace increased, the force capability increased, whereas the human-suit stiffness decreased. Also, statistical analyses are implemented to verify significant differences according to the anchor point position with a 5% significance level. Moreover, we discuss why the capability of force transmission and the human-suit stiffness differ depending on the anchor point positions. The force capability differed with anchor point positions because of the change in the effective cable stroke. Additionally, the force capability changes nonlinearly owing to the body curve as the condition level of the anchor points changes. The human-suit stiffness is affected by the interference of the body when the assistive force is transmitted through the cable. Characteristics of the force capability and human-suit stiffness model can be used to optimize the performance of existing exosuit or to serve a valuable guide of design a new exosuit when the exosuit needs to maximize the force capability or stiffness.