Showing papers on "Exoskeleton Device published in 2004"

Design of a Haptic Arm Exoskeleton for Training and Rehabilitation

Abstract: A high-quality haptic interface is typically characterized by low apparent inertia and damping, high structural stiffness, minimal backlash and absence of mechanical singularities in the workspace. In addition to these specifications, exoskeleton haptic interface design involves consideration of additional parameters and constraints including space and weight limitations, workspace requirements and the kinematic constraints placed on the device by the human arm. In this context, we present the design of a five degree-of-freedom haptic arm exoskeleton for training and rehabilitation in virtual environments. The design of the device, including actuator and sensor selection, is discussed. Limitations of the device that result from the above selections are also presented. The device is capable of providing kinesthetic feedback to the joints of the lower arm and wrist of the operator, and will be used in future work for robot-assisted rehabilitation and training.Copyright © 2004 by ASME

Haptic interaction with virtual environment using an arm type exoskeleton device

Abstract: Haptic rendering has the potential to increase the quality of human-computer interaction with virtual environment by accommodating the sense of touch. In this paper, a 7 DOF arm type exoskeleton device is designed and implemented. Human user can haptically interact with virtual environment by using this light-weight device. The principles of measuring user's arm motions are presented, which include the dimensional mechanism. The motion of each joint of the proposed haptic device is nearly independent. The virtual contact force is also calculated in real time to meet the stringent requirement of real time haptic rendering. Experiments results show promising feasibility of the arm type exoskeleton device.