STRIDE VARIATIONS IN EXOSKELETON CONTROLS FOR PARAPLEGICS
Project Proposal (Tangible User Interfaces)
Team Members: Christina Yee, Seema Puthyapurayil, Priya Iyer
Problem Statement:
Some paraplegics have limited motor control over their legs, which allows them to walk by “dragging” their feet forward. While an exoskeleton can help these individuals appear to have a more natural gait, current technology requires users to hold a controller (that is wired to the exoskeleton) to trigger each step which has a pre-set stride length. In order to help users appear more “natural” in their strides, we aim to design a more elegant controller which accommodates variations in stride lengths while eliminating hard-wiring between the exoskeleton and user’s hands.
Existing Hardware:
The Human Engineering Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley has already built the exoskeleton hardware necessary for us to use for our tangible user interface project. There is also a test pilot with limited motor control for which this project is focused on. Therefore, our project’s focus will be to develop a more elegant controller for this exoskeleton with this particular test pilot in mind.
Current Limitations:
The current exoskeleton design uses a handheld controller which is hard-wired to the exoskeleton and imposes unnecessary constraints on the user’s performance. Common maneuvers such as working on a counter-height workbench, walking down stairs, or sitting in a meeting dictate that the test pilot either switch the controller between hands or let go altogether, sometimes storing the controller nearby for later use. In all of these cases a wireless device eliminates the potential for tangled or broken cables, and allows the device to better adapt to changing environments.
Other Potential Users:
While our project’s motivation stems from a particular individual’s needs, there is a much larger population for which this device could benefit. People with limited mobility, such as stroke patients and sufferers of neurological disorders, are also potential users of this device. People with decreased muscle strength, such as the elderly, can also use this device to amplify their strides and help them to travel further distances faster using less energy. Lastly, our proposed controller for this exoskeleton can help patients in rehab recover quicker by helping to retrain muscles after an injury.
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