Assistive Powered Hip Exoskeleton Improves Self-Selected Walking Speed in One Individual with Hemiparesis: A Case Study.

Most individuals suffering a stroke have permanent weakness on one side of the body (hemiparesis) that reduces their ability to ambulate. Autonomous powered exoskeletons have been proposed as a possible solution to this problem. Studies with healthy subjects show that assistive powered exoskeletons have the potential to improve gait, for example, by reducing the metabolic cost of walking.

Robust Torque Predictions From Electromyography Across Multiple Levels of Active Exoskeleton Assistance Despite Non-linear Reorganization of Locomotor Output.

Robotic exoskeletons can assist humans with walking by providing supplemental torque in proportion to the user's joint torque. Electromyographic (EMG) control algorithms can estimate a user's joint torque directly using real-time EMG recordings from the muscles that generate the torque. However, EMG signals change as a result of supplemental torque from an exoskeleton, resulting in unreliable estimates of the user's joint torque during active exoskeleton assistance.

Powered hip exoskeleton improves walking economy in individuals with above-knee amputation.

Above-knee amputation severely reduces the mobility and quality of life of millions of individuals. Walking with available leg prostheses is highly inefficient, and poor walking economy is a major problem limiting mobility. Here we show that an autonomous powered hip exoskeleton assisting the residual limb significantly improves metabolic walking economy by 15.