A Vector-Based Motion Retargeting Approach for Exoskeletons with Shoulder Girdle Mechanism

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Biomechanics
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• The shoulder girdle is crucial for natural upper limb motion.
• Current motion retargeting methods often neglect shoulder girdle dynamics.
• Existing analytical methods are limited to exoskeletons with similar joint configurations to humans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a vector-based analytical motion retargeting approach for exoskeletons incorporating a shoulder girdle mechanism.
• To enable accurate motion transfer for exoskeletons by considering the full upper limb kinematics.

Main Methods:

• Developed a vector-based analytical method for motion retargeting.
• Mapped upper limb segment vectors into the joint space.
• Utilized simulations with diverse motion descriptions to validate the approach.

Main Results:

• The proposed method accurately retargets motion for exoskeletons with shoulder girdle mechanisms.
• Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the vector-based approach.
• The method effectively handles the complex coordination of the shoulder girdle.

Conclusions:

• The vector-based analytical approach offers an effective solution for motion retargeting in exoskeletons with shoulder girdle mechanisms.
• This method enhances the naturalness and efficiency of exoskeleton control.
• Future work can build upon this approach for more sophisticated human-robot interaction.