CAREER: Bio-inspired Multi-joint Design and Control for Efficient and Lightweight Wearable Robots

职业：高效、轻型可穿戴机器人的仿生多关节设计和控制

• 批准号: 2046287
• 负责人: Tommaso Lenzi
• 金额: $ 58.43万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-03-01 至 2026-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2046287&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Bio; inspired; Multi; joint

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award will promote the progress of science and advance the national health and prosperity by providing new knowledge related to wearable robotics. Wearable robots, such as powered exoskeletons, promise to improve our productivity, health, and independence by augmenting, preserving, and restoring our ability to move. However, existing powered exoskeletons are heavy and inefficient, which largely prevents them from being used in real life. Existing powered exoskeletons apply assistance to each wearer's joint separately, which requires many actuators and large batteries. In contrast, the powered exoskeletons created in this project will use bio-inspired actuation systems that concurrently assist multiple wearer’s joints, much like human muscles. Because one exoskeleton actuator assists multiple wearer’s joints, fewer actuators will be needed. Because energy is transferred between joints instead of being dissipated, smaller and lighter actuators and batteries will be needed. The multidisciplinary research team of roboticists, movement scientists, and clinicians will work closely with individuals with disabilities, broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in research and positively impact engineering education.Ambulation requires considerable energy to accelerate and decelerate the limb segments and to dynamically support the body against gravity. Human ambulation is highly efficient and stable because of the passive dynamics of the leg and the elastic properties of the muscles, and also because many muscles span multiple joints, actively transferring energy between joints. In contrast, existing powered exoskeletons are designed and controlled considering each actuated joint as a separate unit, independent from the others, even when multiple joints are actuated. This approach disrupts the natural dynamics of ambulation, resulting in less efficient and less stable gait. The goal of this project is to address this fundamental gap by developing energy-conserving mechanisms and control algorithms inspired by human ambulation. We will optimize the energy exchange across multiple joints for the design and control of powered exoskeletons by studying how humans adapt to the assistance concurrently provided by a powered exoskeleton to multiple leg joints, on different anatomical planes, or during different ambulation activities. We will then design powered exoskeletons that can allow for energy transfer between different joints, conserving energy within the system, while improving metabolic cost, muscle effort, and stability of the wearer.This project is supported by the cross-directorate Foundational Research in Robotics program, jointly managed and funded by the Directorates for Engineering (ENG) and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个教师早期职业发展（CAREER）奖将通过提供与可穿戴机器人相关的新知识来促进科学的进步，并促进国家的健康和繁荣。可穿戴机器人，如动力外骨骼，通过增强、保持和恢复我们的移动能力，有望提高我们的生产力、健康和独立性。然而，现有的动力外骨骼笨重且效率低下，这在很大程度上阻碍了它们在真实的生活中的使用。现有的动力外骨骼分别向每个穿戴者的关节施加辅助，这需要许多致动器和大型电池。相比之下，在这个项目中创建的动力外骨骼将使用生物启发的驱动系统，同时帮助多个穿戴者的关节，就像人类肌肉一样。因为一个外骨骼致动器辅助多个穿戴者的关节，所以将需要较少的致动器。由于能量在关节之间传递而不是耗散，因此需要更小更轻的致动器和电池。由机器人专家、运动科学家和临床医生组成的多学科研究团队将与残疾人密切合作，扩大代表性不足的群体在研究中的参与，并对工程教育产生积极影响。Ampendance需要相当大的能量来加速和减速肢体部分，并动态支撑身体对抗重力。人体假肢是高效和稳定的，因为腿的被动动力学和肌肉的弹性特性，也因为许多肌肉跨越多个关节，在关节之间主动传递能量。相比之下，现有的动力外骨骼被设计和控制为将每个致动关节视为独立于其他关节的单独单元，即使当多个关节被致动时也是如此。这种方法破坏了Ambassador的自然动力学，导致效率较低且不稳定的步态。该项目的目标是通过开发节能机制和受人类活动启发的控制算法来解决这一根本性差距。我们将通过研究人类如何适应由动力外骨骼同时提供给多个腿部关节的辅助，在不同的解剖平面上，或在不同的运动活动期间，来优化多个关节之间的能量交换，以用于动力外骨骼的设计和控制。然后，我们将设计动力外骨骼，它可以允许不同关节之间的能量转移，节省系统内的能量，同时改善代谢成本，肌肉的努力，和穿着者的稳定性。该项目得到了跨董事会机器人基础研究计划的支持，由工程局（ENG）和计算机与信息科学与工程局（CISE）共同管理和资助该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Assistive Powered Hip Exoskeleton Improves Self-Selected Walking Speed in One Individual with Hemiparesis: A Case Study

辅助动力髋部外骨骼提高偏瘫患者的自主行走速度：案例研究

• DOI: 10.1109/icorr55369.2022.9896568
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Netherlands
• 作者: Archangeli, Dante;Ishmael, Marshall K.;Lenzi, Tommaso
• 通讯作者: Lenzi, Tommaso

Series-elastic actuator with two degree-of-freedom PID control improves torque control in a powered knee exoskeleton

具有两个自由度 PID 控制的串联弹性执行器改善了动力膝外骨骼的扭矩控制

• DOI: 10.1017/wtc.2023.20
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Wearable Technologies
• 作者: Sarkisian, Sergei V.;Gabert, Lukas;Lenzi, Tommaso
• 通讯作者: Lenzi, Tommaso

Powered Hip Exoskeleton Reduces Residual Hip Effort Without Affecting Kinematics and Balance in Individuals With Above-Knee Amputations During Walking

• DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2022.3211842
• 发表时间: 2023-04-01
• 期刊: IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
• 影响因子: 4.6
• 作者: Ishmael, Marshall K. K.;Gunnell, Andrew;Lenzi, Tommaso
• 通讯作者: Lenzi, Tommaso

A Powered Hip Exoskeleton With High Torque Density for Walking, Running, and Stair Ascent

具有高扭矩密度的动力髋部外骨骼，适用于步行、跑步和爬楼梯

• DOI: 10.1109/tmech.2022.3159506
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics
• 作者: Ishmael, Marshall K.;Archangeli, Dante;Lenzi, Tommaso
• 通讯作者: Lenzi, Tommaso

Powered hip exoskeleton improves walking economy in individuals with above-knee amputation

• DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01515-2
• 发表时间: 2021-10-11
• 期刊: NATURE MEDICINE
• 影响因子: 82.9
• 作者: Ishmael, Marshall K.;Archangeli, Dante;Lenzi, Tommaso
• 通讯作者: Lenzi, Tommaso