Design and analysis of a passive knee assisted exoskeleton

Abstract

In order to reduce the impact of knee injury and energy consumption during exercise, an unpowered exoskeleton was proposed based on the characteristics of ergonomics and human lower limb gait. The device is assisted by a double spring mechanism and worn parallel to the knee joint. The metabolic energy of the human body is reduced by compensating for the energy loss the lower limbs negative work. At the same time, the elastic energy storage element is simulated and analyzed in ANSYS software, and the corresponding relationship between the size of energy storage unit and strain energy is determined, so as to realize the parameter matching design and application of energy storage unit. Finally, the effectiveness of the exoskeleton is proved by analyzing EMG data and human knee torque data. The experimental results showing that the exoskeleton has a good assistant effect, and can achieve the purpose of daily walking assistance.