2P1-G04 Development of a walking assist machine using crutches with foot-driving mechanism : Improvement of ride quality and energy consumption(Welfare Robotics and Mechatronics(1))

Abstract

In this paper, in order to improve energy efficiency and ride quality of a Walking Assist Machine using Crutches (WAMC), relationships among motion parameters, energy efficiency and ride quality of WAMC have been theoretically and experimentally investigated. On the basis of the results, foot-driving mechanism without any additional actuators has been proposed. Results of dynamic simulations show that the reduction effect of energy consumption and improvement of ride-quality of WAMC can be achieved by introducing this mechanism. Design parameters of the foot-driving mechanism have been determined by the simulation results. A prototype of WAMC with foot-driving mechanism has been designed and fabricated, and its energy consumption and ride quality have been experimentally investigated. The results show that the WAMC with the proposed foot-driving mechanism reduces energy consumption by 43% with improved ride quality.