Evaluation is an important step in exoskeleton design, because it provides an objective measure of performance and a point of comparison with other products on the market. In this thesis we presented an analysis of the JSI-KneExo knee exoskeleton, developed at the Institute “Jožef Stefan”, based on electromyography and motion capture.
We measured the squatting motion for different levels of exoskeleton involvement in assistance: a) without exoskeleton, b) with exoskeleton in the passive mode and c) with exoskeleton in the transparent mode. Ten subjects participated in the measurements. The results showed that muscle activity decreased when using the exoskeleton in the passive mode, while at the same time the median frequency, correlated with fatigue phenomenon, did not show any statistically significant difference between conditions.
The exoskeleton also had an influence on the kinematic parameters. Hip range of motion decreased while using the exoskeleton. Vector coding analysis showed a significant reduction in the hip-dominant phase, which was, in turn, compensated for by increased trunk lean.
We concluded that the JSI-KneExo exoskeleton helps reduce muscle effort during squatting while simultaneously changing the coordination pattern of the movement.
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