Integrating musculoskeletal simulation and machine learning: a hybrid approach for personalized ankle-foot exoskeleton assistance strategies

Abstract

Introduction: Lower limb exoskeletons have shown considerable potential in assisting human walking, particularly by reducing metabolic cost (MC), leading to a surge of interest in this field in recent years. However, owing to significant individual differences and the uncertainty of movements, challenges still exist in the personalized design and control of exoskeletons in human-robot interactions. Methods: In this study, we propose a hybrid data-driven approach that integrates musculoskeletal simulation with machine learning technology to customize personalized assistance strategies efficiently and adaptively for ankle-foot exoskeletons. First, optimal assistance strategies that can theoretically minimize MC, were derived from forward muscle-driven simulations on an open-source dataset. Then, a neural network was utilized to explore the relationships among different individuals, movements, and optimal strategies, thus developing a predictive model. Results: With respect to transfer learning, our approach exhibited effectiveness and adaptability when faced with new individuals and movements. The simulation results further indicated that our approach successfully reduced the MC of calf muscles by approximately 20% compared to normal walking conditions. Discussion: This hybrid approach offers an alternative for personalizing assistance strategy that may further guide exoskeleton design.