Soft Exosuit with High Elastic Modulus Materials for Motion Assistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rigid exoskeletons restrict natural movement and apply undesired forces, while soft exosuits lack load-bearing capacity and struggle with efficient force delivery due to material stretching, leading to discomfort and inefficiency in motion assistance. Additionally, existing control systems fail to adapt to individual variations in kinematics and kinetics, providing inadequate assistance timing and magnitude.
Innovation Solution
A soft exosuit system with high elastic modulus materials and adjustable, conformal textiles that distribute forces efficiently, combined with a control system that uses real-time sensors to adapt assistance based on user-specific kinetics and kinematics, ensuring appropriate timing and magnitude of assistive forces for hip and ankle motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If soft, flexible or semi-flexible components are used in exosuits, then comfort and natural movement are improved, but load-bearing capacity and force delivery efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The exosuit employs composite construction combining soft textile layers with high elastic modulus reinforcement materials. The textile layers provide comfort and conformability, while the high elastic modulus materials (such as carbon fiber or aramid fibers) embedded within the structure provide the necessary load-bearing capacity and stiffness for efficient force delivery, resolving the contradiction between comfort and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the exosuit are designed with varying material properties tailored to local requirements. High elastic modulus materials are strategically placed in load-bearing zones to provide stiffness and strength, while softer textile materials are used in contact regions with the body to ensure comfort. This spatial differentiation of material properties allows simultaneous optimization of both comfort and load-bearing capacity.
2Ease of operation
If comfortable textiles are used directly against the skin, then comfort is improved, but stretching under tension causes energy loss and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The textile layers are composite-constructed with high elastic modulus reinforcement materials that resist stretching under tension. This composite structure prevents the textile from stretching excessively, thereby minimizing energy loss and maintaining proper alignment, while the textile outer layer continues to provide comfort against the skin.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical properties of the textile materials are modified by incorporating high elastic modulus reinforcements, changing the stress-strain characteristics of the material. This parameter change reduces the compliance of the textile under tension, preventing excessive stretching and energy loss while maintaining the comfort benefits of textile construction.
3Power
If rigid exoskeleton structures are used, then assistive torque capability is improved, but natural movement restriction and undesired forces increase
Solution Approach 1:
The exosuit uses flexible textile shells and thin film structures that can conform to body movements while delivering assistive forces. These flexible structures replace rigid exoskeleton frames, allowing natural movement to occur while still providing the necessary torque assistance through the flexible textile construction that transmits forces efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural rigidity parameter is changed by using high elastic modulus materials that provide stiffness only when needed for force delivery, while remaining flexible during normal movement. This parameter change allows the exosuit to adapt its stiffness dynamically, providing rigid support for torque generation but flexible compliance for natural motion, thus resolving the contradiction between assistive torque and natural movement.
4Device complexity
If predetermined control parameters are used, then control system complexity is reduced, but adaptability to individual variations in kinematics and kinetics deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor the user's kinematics and kinetics, providing real-time feedback about actual movement and force requirements. This feedback mechanism allows the control system to automatically adapt to individual variations without requiring complex manual programming, maintaining relatively simple system architecture while achieving high adaptability through sensor-driven adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is designed to self-adjust and self-optimize based on real-time sensor data about the user's movement patterns and force requirements. Rather than requiring complex external programming for each user, the system serves itself by automatically learning and adapting to individual variations in kinematics and kinetics, reducing the need for complex predetermined parameters while achieving high adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides comfortable and efficient motion assistance by maintaining proper alignment and load distribution, adapting to individual variations, and optimizing force delivery for enhanced user performance and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
Many comfortable textiles are prone to stretching when placed under tension. Such stretching can cause effectively bleed energy from the exosuit... high elastic modulus materials were used
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for providing assistance with human motion, including hip and ankle motion, are disclosed. Sensor feedback is used to determine an appropriate profile for actuating a wearable robotic system to deliver desired joint motion assistance. Variations in user kinetics and kinematics, as well as construction, materials, and fit of the wearable robotic system, are considered in order to provide assistance tailored to the user and current activity.