Scientists use exoskeleton robots to help people with disabilities walk

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Exoskeleton robots are like "skeletons" worn on the body. The sensor can read the body's motion intentions, and the drive system commands to move the limbs.

Standing up, taking two steps, sitting down, these simple physical movements are not easy for Zhao Yeyun - a car accident 9 years ago damaged his spinal cord, causing the lower body to linger, and his rest is likely to be in a wheelchair. Spend.

Recently, researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences released a message that the latest generation of exoskeleton robots they developed is expected to help patients like Zhao Yeyun temporarily leave the wheelchair and experience the feeling of standing and walking.

Wu Xinyu, executive director of the Intelligent Bionics Research Center of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told reporters that exoskeleton robots are complex intelligent systems that combine mechanical, electronic, computer, artificial intelligence and other technologies. People wear special "skeletal" on their bodies. The sensor installed at the knee and hip joints can read the movement intention of the human body, and give the drive system an instruction to drive the leg movement to achieve walking.

At the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, researchers walked forward with the help of the lower extremity assisted exoskeleton robot.

The research team led by Wu Xinyu began to study the exoskeleton robots that assisted walking in 2012. At present, the team has developed four types and six models of exoskeleton robots, and applied for 38 patents.

Zhao Yeyun became a test volunteer of the Wu Xinyu team in 2013. He hopes that the feedback he has tested will contribute to the research and development of exoskeleton robots. In the past five years, he has witnessed the technological advancement of exoskeleton robots.

"The first test was not successful. The equipment at that time was very heavy. After I put it on, my waist could not stand up, my knees could not control, and when I walked, my footsteps were not high enough." Zhao Yeyun said.

Based on the feedback from the test volunteers, the research team has made all-round improvements to the exoskeleton robot. According to Chen Chunjie, an associate researcher at the Intelligent Bionics Research Center of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the structural design and control algorithms of exoskeleton robots have been continuously iteratively updated. The initial product weighs 25 kilograms, while the latest generation has only 14 kilograms. In the past, steel materials were used, and now alloys or even lighter carbon fiber materials are used.

A flexible exoskeleton robot weighing just 4 kg makes climbing stairs easier

In 2018, the international authoritative journal "Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering" sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers published the latest research results of Wu Xinyu's team: they can make exoskeleton robots more in line with human gait according to human parameters. Walking can be more personalized.

Therefore, in a recent test, Zhao Yeyun has been able to operate the latest generation of exoskeleton robots, consistently completing a series of actions such as standing, walking, and sitting down.

"In the past five years, more and more researches on exoskeleton robots have been made at home and abroad, and technology has been continuously improved. This has direct benefits for the rehabilitation of disabled patients and their future life." Director of Rehabilitation, Shenzhen Medical College, Southern Medical University Yang Wanzhang said.

For Zhao Yeyun, the greatest significance of the exoskeleton robot is to increase his confidence in life. He hopes that with the development of technology, one day he will be able to get rid of the life of relying on a wheelchair.

However, Yang Wanzhang is not optimistic about this. He told reporters that from the clinical point of view, there are still very few hospitals and patients using exoskeleton robots. Although the prospects are good, it may not be popularized in the short term.

Researchers are debugging self-balancing exoskeleton robots that do not require crutches to assist walking

Yang Wanzhang believes that on the one hand, exoskeleton robots need to achieve breakthroughs in technology, and the dexterity, lightness and endurance need to be further improved. On the other hand, the current degree of industrialization is low, resulting in high costs.

"Now the biggest shortcoming of exoskeleton robots is that they are too expensive. A set of two or three hundred thousand yuan is not affordable for ordinary people. I hope that the price will be cheaper in the future." Zhao Yeyun said.


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