DESIGN AND MOTION CHARACTERISATION OF A WEARABLE LOWER LIMB REHABILITATION EXOSKELETON ROBOT

An adjustable multi degree of freedom exoskeleton robot for lower limb rehabilitation was designed to address the current situation of a large number of lower limb paralysis patients and a shortage of rehabilitators and intelligent rehabilitation equipment. The exoskeleton robot includes a waist freely retractable adjustment mechanism and a leg retractable mechanism driven by a motor. Based on the walking posture, the motion characteristics of the lower limb rehabilitation exoskeleton robot were analysed, and kinematics and dynamics simulations were carried out using ADAMS software; based on the optical human motion capture data acquisition system. Based on the optical human motion capture data acquisition system, the experiment site and plan were arranged. L-shaped and T-shaped calibration rods were used to adjust the lenses within the motion capture area. After calibration, marker balls were placed at specific anatomical positions on the subject. Walking gait experiments were then conducted according to the subjects' natural walking habits. During the experiments, a 3D motion camera captured the marker points on the subject, and the motion data was transmitted to post-processing software installed on a computer for gait analysis and data processing. The processing method involved defining and matching the marker points and establishing a rigid body model of the lower limb exoskeleton robot. Finally, the accuracy of the marker point data was verified, analyzed, and processed. The experimental results show that: in one gait cycle, the angle changes of the hip and knee joints of the test experimenter are smooth, the hip joint turning angle range is 5-25 degrees, and the knee joint is 7-47 degrees, and the fluctuation of the hip joint turning angle is flatter than that of the knee joint, and compared with the virtual simulation results, which proves the feasibility of the model, and provides a model reference for the structural design of the exoskeleton robot and the establishment of the kinematics model. © 2024, Cefin Publishing House. All rights reserved.