Design of an Active Sling-Suspension Robot for Adaptive Gravity Compensation of the Upper Limbs

This paper presents the design, prototyping, and preliminary evaluation of a novel active sling-suspension robot for gravity compensation of the upper limbs, developed for rehabilitation and assistive applications. The robot features a modular, scalable design with low inertia, achieved through a compact structure and optimized weight distribution. An admittance controller and a proportional controller were implemented to ensure effective gravity compensation and precise arm movement tracking, providing an always normal pulling force. Preliminary experimental results performing pick-and-place tasks demonstrated effective winch cable tension tracking while maintaining accurate position tracking with minimal error.