XoSoft – Soft modular biomimetic exoskeleton to assist people with mobility impairments
XoSoft is an EU-funded project which ran from 01.02.2016 – 31.01.2019. The project focused on the development of a soft biometic exoskeleton to assist people with mobility impairments. This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 framework programme for research and innovation under grant agreement No 688175.
Modular components
Wear one, two or all
- Hip
- Knee
- Ankle
Biomimetic control strategy
Hierarchical controller and monitor
- High level – User state and intention
Identify user’s locomotive intent
Context and activity recognition - Mid level – Device state
Translate user intention to desired trajectory or impedance - Low level – Actuator commands
Actuator control
Multi-joint impedance control,
operational space control,
adaptation to environment
Technical features
- Soft sensing and actuation
Multi-joint actuation
Inertial sensors for 3D kinematics
Smart soft mechanical sensing - Central processing hub
Data gathering
Actuator control
Communication (Phone [4G])
Power - Communication and connected health
Realtime feedback to user
Offline gait analysis data for clinicians
Solution
XoSoft focused on the use of non-traditional sensing and actuation systems based on smart materials and soft structures for different application areas.
Research
The research in XoSoft was divided into a work plan consisting of nine distinct work packages to ensure effective implementation.
Results
A number of key results and outcomes were achieved by the end of the project including a variety of prototypes and scientific publications