Mechanical design of the Hanyang Exoskeleton Assistive Robot(HEXAR)

Abstract

This study developed a lower extremity exoskeleton system to enhance lower body strength. In this paper, selected the degrees of freedom (DOF) which actuated based on analyzed human motion, and analyzed the human joint function to design the joint modules of the exoskeletal robot. To improve the efficiency of the exoskeleton robot, a mechanical structure was designed on the basis of a semi-anthropomorphic architecture. The Hanyang EXskeleton Assistive Robot (HEXAR) has seven degrees of freedom per leg, two of which are powered by an electrical motor. Appropriately sized motors and gearing are selected, and put through a thorough power analysis. quasi-passive mechanisms were designed with compliance material for supporting the weight of external loads in the stance phase and absorbing/releasing the energy. This paper discusses design criteria considered in mechanical design for HEXAR.