Change in telescoping leg strategy with varying walking speed to modulate force advantage.

Human walking consists of two major sequential events (i.e., single- and double-support phases).

Human-mimetic soft robot joint for shock absorption through joint dislocation.

This paper presents a human-mimetic manipulator capable of shock absorption by using dislocation at the soft joint. A one degree-of-freedom (DOF) soft robot joint was developed based on the human elbow-joint structure, especially mimicking the humeroulnar joint in the elbow. Each component of the soft joint is combined by an elastic ligament, which is made up of elastic rubber and is attached to the pivot joint pin positioned at a predetermined place according to a specially designed pin guide.

Design of a simple, lightweight, passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton supporting ankle joint stiffness.

In this study, a passive-elastic ankle exoskeleton (PEAX) with a one-way clutch mechanism was developed and then pilot-tested with vertical jumping to determine whether the PEAX is sufficiently lightweight and comfortable to be used in further biomechanical studies. The PEAX was designed to supplement the function of the Achilles tendon and ligaments as they passively support the ankle torque with their inherent stiffness. The main frame of the PEAX consists of upper and lower parts connected to each other by tension springs (N = 3) and lubricated hinge joints.