Design and control of the lower limb exoskeleton KIT-EXO-1

We present a new lower limb exoskeleton with series elastic actuators for augmentation of human performance and for rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal system. The KIT-EXO-1 consists of 3 DOF, linear series elastic actuators with progressive helical springs which change the spring stiffness over spring deflection and a force-based interface to the human body. We describe the design actuator and its sensor system. In addition, we describe a force sensor system for capturing interaction forces between the exoskeleton and the human body. We present a force-based control approach, which allows the generation of motion pattern based on interaction force pattern between the exoskeleton and the human body. Our first experimental results demonstrate the performance of the new linear series elastic actuator and provide a proof of concept for the force-based control approach.