A Soft Robotic Exosuit For Knee Extension Using Hyper-Bending Actuators

Abstract

Movement disorders impact muscle strength and mobility, and despite therapeutic efforts, many people with movement disorders have challenges functioning independently. Soft wearable robots, or exosuits, offer a promising solution for continuous daily support, however, commercially viable devices are not widely available. Here, we introduce a design framework for lower limb exosuits centered on a soft pneumatically driven fabric-based actuator. Our design consists of a novel multi-material textile sleeve that incorporates braided mesh and knit-elastic materials to realize hyper-bending actuators. The actuators incorporate 3D-printed self-sealing end caps that are attached to a semi-rigid human-robot interface to secure them to the body. We will demonstrate the effectiveness of our exosuit in generating enough force to assist during sit-to-stand transitions.