Aim: 

• Design a Light and compact 2-DoF Elbow Exoskeleton for ADL assistance

Technical Problem: 

• Mechanical design and sensing for forearm rotation are challenging

Novel Approach:

• Applied Spherical Scissor Mechanism (SSM) for elbow and forearm rotation

Experimental Result: 

• SSME can achieve a sufficient range of motion for human arm movement in ADL

• SSME can assist 2 subjects in an ADL task with reductions in motion error

Mechanical design with 3D CAD model, and 2D diagram for fabrication with GD&T and China GB Standard

Robot kinematic modelling and simulation with MATLAB

Electronics selection and microcontroller (Teensy 4.1) implementation, including actuators, and encoders

Robot controller implementation, including PID, and impedance control

Microcontroller programming skills for Teensy

Experiment planning to verify the project’s aim

Data collection, processing, and analysis, including robot sensing signal and human joint angles

Thomas M. Kwok, Hilary HY Cheng, Haoyong Yu, “A 2-DOF Elbow Exoskeleton with Spherical Scissor Mechanism for ADL Assistance,” in 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO), 4-9 Dec.2023, pp.1-6.

Thomas M. Kwok, Haoyong Yu, “An Apparatus For Upper-Limb Motion Assistance,” International Patent Application (WIPO) No. WO2022216231A1, 2022

Thomas M. Kwok, Haoyong Yu, “Device For Assisting Upper Limb Movement (用于辅助上肢运动的装置),” Chinese Patent Publication No. CN 114452157 A, 2021

Thomas M. Kwok, Haoyong Yu, “A Portable Apparatus for Upper-Limb Motion Assistance,” SG Non-Provisional Application No. 10202103464Q, 2021