Evaluation of 3D design lower limb exoskeleton on human musculoskeletal with various loads

AbstractThe surface electromyography (SEMG) based exoskeleton presents a new opportunity for human augmentation and rehabilitation. Developing an efficient exoskeleton in real‐time is challenging as each individual's muscles and joint forces are unique. The aim of this research article is to analyze and evaluate the design of the lower limb exoskeleton during the squatting movement in a simulated environment to address problems concerning the development of a functional exoskeleton for an individual. An exoskeleton was designed in SolidWorks CAD software and imported into AnyBody Modelling Software (AMS). Thereafter, the performance of 3D designed exoskeleton was evaluated by placing various loads (0:5:25 kg) on both the shoulders of the human musculoskeletal. The results show the force in the knee muscles with the assistance of the exoskeleton were reduced significantly by 65.18–97.20% in the biceps femoris, 50.01–33.16% in the rectus femoris, 41.87–28.31% in the vastus lateralis, 42.25–28.78% in the vastus medialis, 7.28–22.91% in gluteus medius, and 22.54–13.13% in semitendinosus. The force in the knee joint was reduced by 44.04–31.43% as the load increases. Individual muscle force estimated from the SEMG signal and AMS during squatting was also compared for validation. The developed model helps in understanding the load effects on different muscles and provides useful information for the construction of an individual's optimized exoskeleton.