Design and Prototyping a Novel Hybrid Shoulder Exoskeleton

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Robotics
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Labor-related lifting tasks in manufacturing and logistics frequently cause shoulder injuries due to prolonged shifts and repetitive motions, leading to muscle fatigue, acute accidents, and chronic musculoskeletal disorders.
• Existing passive exoskeletons can increase the effort required for arm lowering, while active exoskeletons demand significant energy and pose safety risks due to potential power failure.
• There is a need for advanced exoskeleton solutions that enhance lifting performance without compromising user safety or comfort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel hybrid exoskeleton system designed to mitigate shoulder injuries in labor-related lifting tasks.
• To address the limitations of current passive and active exoskeleton technologies by integrating a parallel elastic actuator with a tunable motorized helical actuator.
• To optimize the exoskeleton's mechanical advantage and validate its functionality through prototype construction and experimental testing.

Main Methods:

• Evaluation of the proposed hybrid exoskeleton's kinematics and statics.
• Design and implementation of an advanced electrical control system for the exoskeleton.
• Optimization of the mechanical advantage profile through mechanism design.
• Construction and experimental testing of a functional prototype to validate the concept.

Main Results:

• The research details the kinematic and static analysis of the proposed hybrid exoskeleton.
• The design and implementation of the electrical control system are presented.
• Mechanism optimization for improved mechanical advantage profile is demonstrated.
• Experimental testing of a functional prototype validated the concept's feasibility and performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed hybrid exoskeleton, featuring a parallel elastic actuator with a tunable motorized helical actuator, offers a promising solution for reducing shoulder injuries in occupational lifting.
• The system addresses the drawbacks of passive exoskeletons (increased lowering effort) and active exoskeletons (high energy consumption, safety risks).
• The prototype validation confirms the potential of this hybrid approach to improve lifting performance and user safety in industrial settings.