Sensorless model-based tension control for a cable-driven exosuit

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Bardi, Elena, Esser, Adrian, Wolf, Peter, Gandolla, Marta, Ambrosini, Emilia, Pedrocchi, Alessandra, Riener, Robert
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Bardi, Elena
Esser, Adrian
Wolf, Peter
Gandolla, Marta
Ambrosini, Emilia
Pedrocchi, Alessandra
Riener, Robert
author_facet Bardi, Elena
Esser, Adrian
Wolf, Peter
Gandolla, Marta
Ambrosini, Emilia
Pedrocchi, Alessandra
Riener, Robert
contents Cable-driven exosuits have the potential to support individuals with motor disabilities across the continuum of care. When supporting a limb with a cable, force sensors are often used to measure tension. However, force sensors add cost, complexity, and distal components. This paper presents a design and control approach to remove the force sensor from an upper limb cable-driven exosuit. A mechanical design for the exosuit was developed to maximize passive transparency. Then, a data-driven friction identification was conducted on a mannequin test bench to design a model-based tension controller. Seventeen healthy participants raised and lowered their right arms to evaluate tension tracking, movement quality, and muscular effort. Questionnaires on discomfort, physical exertion, and fatigue were collected. The proposed strategy allowed tracking the desired assistive torque with an RMSE of 0.71 Nm (18%) at 50% gravity support. During the raising phase, the EMG signals of the anterior deltoid, trapezius, and pectoralis major were reduced on average compared to the no-suit condition by 30%, 38%, and 38%, respectively. The posterior deltoid activity was increased by 32% during lowering. Position tracking was not significantly altered, whereas movement smoothness significantly decreased. This work demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of removing the force sensor from a cable-driven exosuit. A significant increase in discomfort in the lower neck and right shoulder indicated that the ergonomics of the suit could be improved. Overall this work paves the way towards simpler and more affordable exosuits.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_18412
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Sensorless model-based tension control for a cable-driven exosuit
Bardi, Elena
Esser, Adrian
Wolf, Peter
Gandolla, Marta
Ambrosini, Emilia
Pedrocchi, Alessandra
Riener, Robert
Robotics
Signal Processing
Cable-driven exosuits have the potential to support individuals with motor disabilities across the continuum of care. When supporting a limb with a cable, force sensors are often used to measure tension. However, force sensors add cost, complexity, and distal components. This paper presents a design and control approach to remove the force sensor from an upper limb cable-driven exosuit. A mechanical design for the exosuit was developed to maximize passive transparency. Then, a data-driven friction identification was conducted on a mannequin test bench to design a model-based tension controller. Seventeen healthy participants raised and lowered their right arms to evaluate tension tracking, movement quality, and muscular effort. Questionnaires on discomfort, physical exertion, and fatigue were collected. The proposed strategy allowed tracking the desired assistive torque with an RMSE of 0.71 Nm (18%) at 50% gravity support. During the raising phase, the EMG signals of the anterior deltoid, trapezius, and pectoralis major were reduced on average compared to the no-suit condition by 30%, 38%, and 38%, respectively. The posterior deltoid activity was increased by 32% during lowering. Position tracking was not significantly altered, whereas movement smoothness significantly decreased. This work demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of removing the force sensor from a cable-driven exosuit. A significant increase in discomfort in the lower neck and right shoulder indicated that the ergonomics of the suit could be improved. Overall this work paves the way towards simpler and more affordable exosuits.
title Sensorless model-based tension control for a cable-driven exosuit
topic Robotics
Signal Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.18412