Development of an improved lower limb orthosis for a motion-assist robot for the lower limb

In recent years, wearable robots have attracted attention as an alternative for lost function and to extend the physical function of people who are forced into rehabilitation by injury or illness. A wearable robot is directly attached as an exoskeleton system, and is commonly fixed into place using half-moon materials and bands. However, the device often slides down with such an attachment method. Therefore, the power is not transmitted efficiently and the individual´s dynamic force is misdirected. This can become a dangerous situation for the wearer. In this study, we report the results of a verification experiment for the gap measured by a motion-capture system when using the traditional orthosis using bands and half-moon materials and the new orthosis developed in our laboratory.