Publications by authors named "W Sebastian Barrutia"
Soft tissue at the human-exoskeleton interface can deform under load to absorb, return and dissipate the mechanical energy generated by the exoskeleton. These soft tissue effects are often not accounted for and may mislead researchers on the actual joint assistance an exoskeleton provides. We assessed the effects of soft tissue by quantifying the performance and energy distribution of a knee exoskeleton under different assistance strategies using a synthetic lower limb phantom.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Human Lower Limb Mechanical Phantom for the Testing of Knee Exoskeletons.
IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng
June 2023
Article Synopsis
- The development of lower-limb exoskeletons is slow and testing on vulnerable populations like children raises safety concerns, prompting the need for alternative testing methods.
- A new mechanical phantom using 3D-printed bones and ballistic gel effectively replicates knee kinematics and soft-tissue deformation, allowing for quicker validation of exoskeletons.
- The research showed that accounting for soft-tissue deformation reduces the assistance moment and stiffness in knee exoskeletons, highlighting the importance of energy absorption in improving design efficacy.