Musculoskeletal robots and wearable devices on the basis of cable-driven actuators

Abstract

Cable-driven actuators are a promising alternative for future kinematic designs, particularly when the combination of lightweight, high strength, compact designs and dynamic motions are required. Powered exoskeletons or wearable robots are typical candidates of these novel actuators as has been demonstrated by previous research. This chapter focusses on current work in cable-driven actuators, introduces the Myorobotics toolkit for supporting the engineer to build up prototypes from cable-actuates modules and gives an outlook to using cable-driven actuation for advanced wearable robots.