Exoskeleton robots are wearable electromechanical structures which can work interacting with human limbs. These robots are used as assistive limbs, rehabilitation and power augmentation purposes for elderly or paralyzed persons and healthy persons respectively. The similarity of the design and control between the exoskeleton robots and human body maximizes the device performance. Human body neuro-muscular system varies the stiffness of the human joints regularly and thus provides flexible and safe movement capability with minimum energy consumption. The studies on the variable stiffness actuator designs are stil moving along rapidly in the present time. The leading ones are antagonistic and pretension type variable stiffness actuators. Exoskeleton robots need to be drived energy efficiently and with less power requirements as they are mobile devices supplied by batteries. In this study, antagonistic and pretension type variable stiffness actuator designs of ankle joint are compared in terms of energy efficiency and power requirement for
Exoskeleton robots are wearable electromechanical structures whichcan work interacting with human limbs. These robots are used as assistivelimbs, rehabilitation and power augmentation purposes for elderly or paralyzedpersons and healthy persons respectively. The similarity of the design andcontrol between the exoskeleton robots and human body maximizes the deviceperformance. Human body neuro-muscular system varies the stiffness of thehuman joints regularly and thus provides flexible and safe movement capabilitywith minimum energy consumption. The studies on the variable stiffnessactuator designs are stil moving along rapidly in the present time. The leadingones are antagonistic and pretension type variable stiffness actuators.Exoskeleton robots need to be drived energy efficiently and with less powerrequirements as they are mobile devices supplied by batteries. In this study,antagonistic and pretension type variable stiffness actuator designs of anklejoint are compared in terms of energy efficiency and power requirement for optimal (medium) walking speed. The comparisons are conducted in the case ofvariable stiffness in a gait cycle. The results show that the antagonistic typeactuator design is more efficient and requires less power than the pretensiontype designs for variable stiffness gait cycles. As a conclusion, antagonistic typedesigns are more feasible than pretension type designs for the joints ofexoskeleton robots, ortheses, prostheses and humanoid robots.