Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Over the past decade, there have been major advancements in mechatronics design of bilateral lower-limb (leg) powered exoskeletons. Placed over the lower limbs primarily for standing and walking, these externally-powered motorized orthoses allow users with compromised motor control to complete movements they could not complete on their own. For example, the emergence of serial elastic actuators has facilitated compact mechanical designs capable of effecting assistive torques at the major lower limb joint axes with inherently spring-like impedance. Furthermore, advances in structural design have reduced power consumption to afford a true portable device capable of daily operation with current rechargeable battery technology. While actuation and energy challenges have made significant breakthroughs, a critical issue that remains is effective exoskeleton control to maximize the benefits of these robotic devices. Current low-level control systems are developed and tuned for specific tasks, such as straight-line walking and standing. Based on position- or impedance-based feedback employing mechanical sensors embedded in the device, these controls are limited in gait speed and adaptability to changes in the gait environment (e.g., terrain changes, perturbations). Importantly, high-level control to switch between tasks, such as transitioning from standing to walking, require manual controls via buttons or handheld interface in current devices. Through this RTI proposal, we request funds to purchase a robotic bilateral lower limb exoskeleton platform to support on-going projects in six different laboratories at University of Waterloo, and to realize interdisciplinary projects that bring together experts in biomechanics, neuroscience, mechatronics, control engineering, and bionics. As a team, there are three core research themes: Theme 1 Advancing understanding of neuromotor control processes in exoskeleton-assisted mobility, particularly dynamic balance control in perturbed standing and gait Theme 2 Development of high-level exoskeleton controls using multimodal sensors and brain-machine interface (BMI) methods Theme 3 Investigation of novel exoskeleton-based approaches for neuromotor learning The proposed equipment is crucial not only to move forward the current research programs of all 8 applicants, but also to foster new scientific and engineering advances by taking advantage of mechatronics technology going beyond conventional means. Longer term, the proposed research, if successful, will significantly advance the way we understand human interaction with assistive robotics with implications on the way such technologies are applied to healthcare and rehabilitation.