Design of an exoskeleton with kinesthetic feedback: Lessons learned

The design of a bilateral (force-reflecting) exoskeleton with kinesthetic feedback is discussed. The design process was hindered by a lack of fundamental biodynamic data, which had to be synthesized from other studies. Areas of human performance research are identified to verify the biodynamic assumptions made during this project. Areas of manipulation research, using a kinematically redundant slave robot, are described to quantify the expected improvements in telemanipulation resulting from the kinesthetic feedback provided by this exoskeleton