Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Lizeth SlootORCiD
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
© 2022 IEEE.Biomechanical evaluation of exoskeletons is a fundamental part of testing hardware and software modifications, but it can be quite challenging and inefficient since different users demonstrate different familiarization patterns and time windows. In this paper, we define four biomechanical metrics that serve as gait familiarization indicators for lower-limb exoskeleton assistance, in order to increase the efficiency and accuracy of biomechanical measurements and data collection, for exoskeleton testing. We assess stride duration, mediolateral deviation from a straight path, polygon of support area, and muscle effort of the lower and upper body, for five participants performing five walking bouts with a manual and a more automatic mode of exoskeleton each. We observed familiarization trends only under the automatic mode for the latter five bouts, based on the reduction of the quantities of the first three metrics (p < 0.05). Muscle effort showed evidence of familiarization based on reductions of co-contraction for the arms only, while muscle activity did not show any familiarization trends for lower or upper body muscles. This study demonstrated that the first three biomechanical metrics are promising candidates for familiarization indicators and thus paves the path towards more efficient exoskeleton testing.
Author(s): Marinou G, Sloot L, Mombaur K
Publication type: Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
Publication status: Published
Conference Name: Proceedings of the IEEE RAS and EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics
Year of Conference: 2022
Online publication date: 03/11/2022
Acceptance date: 02/04/2018
ISSN: 2155-1782
Publisher: IEEE Computer Society
URL: https://doi.org/10.1109/BioRob52689.2022.9925360
DOI: 10.1109/BioRob52689.2022.9925360
Library holdings: Search Newcastle University Library for this item
ISBN: 9781665458498