Influence of Attachment Pressure and Kinematic Configuration on pHRI with Wearable Robots

The goal of this paper is to show the influence of exoskeleton attachment, such as the pressure on the fixation cuffs and alignment of the robot joint to the human joint, on subjective and objective performance metrics (i.e. comfort, mental load, interface forces, tracking error and available worksp...

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Main Authors: André Schiele, Frans C. T. van der Helm
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2009-01-01
Series:Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11762320902879961
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author André Schiele
Frans C. T. van der Helm
author_facet André Schiele
Frans C. T. van der Helm
author_sort André Schiele
collection DOAJ
description The goal of this paper is to show the influence of exoskeleton attachment, such as the pressure on the fixation cuffs and alignment of the robot joint to the human joint, on subjective and objective performance metrics (i.e. comfort, mental load, interface forces, tracking error and available workspace) during a typical physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) experiment. A mathematical model of a single degree of freedom interaction between humans and a wearable robot is presented and used to explain the causes and characteristics of interface forces between the two. The pHRI model parameters (real joint offsets, attachment stiffness) are estimated from experimental interface force measurements acquired during tests with 14 subjects. Insights gained by the model allow optimisation of the exoskeleton kinematics. This paper shows that offsets of more than ±10 cm exist between human and robot axes of rotation, even if a well-designed exoskeleton is aligned properly before motion. Such offsets can create interface loads of up to 200 N and 1.5 Nm in the absence of actuation. The optimal attachment pressure is determined to be 20 mmHg and the attachment stiffness is about 300 N/m. Inclusion of passive compensation joints in the exoskeleton is shown to lower the interaction forces significantly, which enables a more ergonomic pHRI.
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spelling doaj-art-bb070cb787d04c2ca9b961bd791af0762025-08-20T02:19:11ZengWileyApplied Bionics and Biomechanics1176-23221754-21032009-01-016215717310.1080/11762320902879961Influence of Attachment Pressure and Kinematic Configuration on pHRI with Wearable RobotsAndré Schiele0Frans C. T. van der Helm1Mechanical Engineering Department, Automation and Robotics Section, European Space Agency, ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, NetherlandsFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, BioMechanical Engineering Department, Delft University of Technology, Delft, NetherlandsThe goal of this paper is to show the influence of exoskeleton attachment, such as the pressure on the fixation cuffs and alignment of the robot joint to the human joint, on subjective and objective performance metrics (i.e. comfort, mental load, interface forces, tracking error and available workspace) during a typical physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) experiment. A mathematical model of a single degree of freedom interaction between humans and a wearable robot is presented and used to explain the causes and characteristics of interface forces between the two. The pHRI model parameters (real joint offsets, attachment stiffness) are estimated from experimental interface force measurements acquired during tests with 14 subjects. Insights gained by the model allow optimisation of the exoskeleton kinematics. This paper shows that offsets of more than ±10 cm exist between human and robot axes of rotation, even if a well-designed exoskeleton is aligned properly before motion. Such offsets can create interface loads of up to 200 N and 1.5 Nm in the absence of actuation. The optimal attachment pressure is determined to be 20 mmHg and the attachment stiffness is about 300 N/m. Inclusion of passive compensation joints in the exoskeleton is shown to lower the interaction forces significantly, which enables a more ergonomic pHRI.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11762320902879961
spellingShingle André Schiele
Frans C. T. van der Helm
Influence of Attachment Pressure and Kinematic Configuration on pHRI with Wearable Robots
Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
title Influence of Attachment Pressure and Kinematic Configuration on pHRI with Wearable Robots
title_full Influence of Attachment Pressure and Kinematic Configuration on pHRI with Wearable Robots
title_fullStr Influence of Attachment Pressure and Kinematic Configuration on pHRI with Wearable Robots
title_full_unstemmed Influence of Attachment Pressure and Kinematic Configuration on pHRI with Wearable Robots
title_short Influence of Attachment Pressure and Kinematic Configuration on pHRI with Wearable Robots
title_sort influence of attachment pressure and kinematic configuration on phri with wearable robots
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11762320902879961
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