title: Mechatronic Wearable Exoskeletons for Bionic Bipedal Standing and Walking: A New Synthetic Approach.
abstract: During the last few years, interest has been growing to mechatronic and robotic technologies utilized in wearable powered exoskeletons that assist standing and walking. The available literature includes single-case reports, clinical studies conducted in small groups of subjects, and several recent systematic reviews. These publications have fulfilled promotional and marketing objectives but have not yet resulted in a fully optimized, practical wearable exoskeleton. Here we evaluate the progress and future directions in this field from a joint perspective of health professionals, manufacturers, and consumers. We describe the taxonomy of existing technologies and highlight the main improvements needed for the development and functional optimization of the practical exoskeletons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila"Bucharest, Romania; Teaching Emergency Hospital "Bagdasar-Arseni"Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Gelu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Onose
authors.affiliation: Research and Technological Design Institute for Machines Construction Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cârdei
authors.affiliation: Research and Technological Design Institute for Machines Construction Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Ştefan T
authors.initials: ŞT
authors.lastname: Crăciunoiu
authors.affiliation: Research and Technological Design Institute for Machines Construction Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Valeriu
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Avramescu
authors.affiliation: Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami Miami, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Ioan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Opriş
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Mikhail A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lebedev
authors.affiliation: Holistic Dental Medicine Institute - ROPOSTURO Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Marian Vladimir
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Constantinescu
keywords: bionic walk assistance; bipedal standing; mechatronic; models; portable/wearable exoskeletons