title: Leveraging gait dynamics to improve efficiency and performance of powered hip exoskeletons.
abstract: This paper presents a new mechanical design for efficient exoskeleton actuation to power the sagittal plane motion in the human hip. The device uses a DC motor to drive a Scotch-Yoke mechanism and series elasticity to take advantage of the cyclic nature of human gait and to reduce power and control requirements of the exoskeleton. The mechanism creates a transmission that varies between 4:1 and infinity and does not require the motor to reverse direction when the hip joint reverses direction. This paper provides a detailed analysis of how the dynamic nature of human walking can be leveraged with this hip exoskeleton design.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ryder
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sup
mesh_terms: D005684:Gait; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans