Development of a lower extremity exoskeleton for human performance enhancement

Exoskeletons for human performance augmentation are controlled and wearable devices or machines that can increase the speed, strength, and endurance of the operator. So far most researchers focus on the upper limb exoskeletons. To help those who need to travel long distances by feet with heavy loads such as infantry soldiers, this paper presents a control principle of a lower extremity exoskeleton. An exoskeleton foot is designed to measure the human and the exoskeleton´s ZMP. Using the measured human ZMP as the reference together with the human leg position signals, the exoskeleton´s ZMP is modified by trunk compensation. Test prototypes and initial experiment results are also demonstrated.