A lower-limb exoskeleton system for investigating the neuromechanical control of human locomotion and designing assistive robotic aids

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For many people, walking is something done every day, without much thought and with relative ease. We can gracefully adapt our gait to changing terrains, task demands, and constraints on our body. Yet, how this elegant and seemingly effortless control is accomplished by our nervous system is not well understood. Moreover, when the ability to walk is impaired, the consequences can be devastatingaffecting one's ability to both remain independent and connect to community. Unfortunately, 7% of Canadians have a mobility disorder, with this percentage rising to over 20% in adults over the age of 65. ******This NSERC RTI proposal will support the purchase of a lower-limb exoskeleton emulator system that will be used by two emerging world-class laboratories at Queen's University to understand the neuromechanical control of human locomotion, as well as create novel rehabilitation strategies and assistive robotic technologies that could aid those with mobility impairments. The primary components of the exoskeleton emulator system to be purchased include: i. an ankle exoskeleton, which is a brace-like hardware device that is worn at the ankle and can apply torques to the joint; ii. the accompanying actuator, which is a motor that creates the force necessary for the ankle exoskeleton to work; and iii. control and interface software, which is needed to both command and capture the torques being applied to the joint. This state-of-the-art system will be used by researchers and engineers to test fundamental questions about the control of gait, for example by precisely and rapidly perturbing a walking human and then studying the resulting balance control strategies or energetic consequences of movement. Moreover, the system will be used to develop exoskeleton control strategies for robot-assisted rehabilitation therapy for those with mobility impairments, such as stroke, and create intuitive and natural controllers for lower-limb exoskeletons during over-ground walking. ******This exoskeleton emulator system will be the first of its kind in Canada, offering cutting edge training opportunities for Canadian student trainees and fostering innovation and international collaborations. Trainees will have a rare and in demand combination of expertise in human movement science, assistive and wearable technology, and advanced coding and data management skills. This rich training environment, across multiple fields within natural sciences and engineering, will prepare trainees to benefit the future of Canadian research and innovation through careers in either academia or industry. The requested equipment is critical for their work and training, which will generate fundamental scientific insight into the control of walking, innovate the next generation of assistive robotic technologies, and inform the design of future rehabilitation therapies that may one day benefit over 2.5 million Canadians who suffer from a mobility impairment. *****