Design of a Passive Gait-Based Lower-Extremity-Exoskeleton for Supporting Bodyweight

This paper presents the design of a bodyweight-supporting lower-extremity-exoskeleton (LEE) with compliant joints to relieve compressive load in human knees during walking. Based on experimental measurements that relate plantar forces with gait phase, the design of a gait-based LEE is divided into BW-supporting and free-swinging and realized by means of built-in compliant mechanisms in its exoskeleton-knees. Design considerations to accommodate human knee geometry and adapt walking gaits are highlighted. The snap-fit mechanisms for human gait-based operations are illustrated and analyzed numerically. The effects of several different exoskeleton-knee designs on reducing plantar force are experimentally compared validating the effectiveness and light-weight advantages of LEE in reducing plantar force in walking.