IEEE Rev Biomed Eng. 2023;16:278-291. doi: 10.1109/RBME.2021.3078001. Epub 2023 Jan 5.
Medical and rehabilitation exoskeletons are being increasingly considered by therapists when choosing a treatment for individuals affected by lower limb impairments. Although all such exoskeletons seem to provide similar features and performance, there are, in practice, significant differences among them in terms of maximum walking speed, maximum torque, weight, autonomy, interaction with the user, or even the way to use it. In this review, the state of the art of the main commercial exoskeletons is described, while analyzing their properties, advantages, and disadvantages. Three groups are considered: complete exoskeletons, partial exoskeletons and open lines of research. A comparative analysis between them is performed while considering the main scientific and technical aspects to be improved. In conclusion to this analysis, the balance between feasibility and innovation in exoskeletons development is a design challenge. Commercial exoskeletons must fulfil standards whilst ensuring their safety and robustness. However, achieving a new generation of exoskeletons means a need to implement new hardware paradigms, and to enhance control strategies focused on assist-as-needed scheme. Finally, some aspects to improve current designs of the exoskeleton are presented.
医疗和康复外骨骼越来越受到治疗师的关注，他们在为下肢受损的患者选择治疗方法时会考虑使用外骨骼。虽然所有这些外骨骼似乎都提供了相似的功能和性能，但实际上它们在最大步行速度、最大扭矩、重量、自主性、与用户的交互方式，甚至使用方式等方面都存在显著差异。在这篇综述中，描述了主要商业外骨骼的最新技术，同时分析了它们的特性、优点和缺点。考虑到需要改进的主要科学和技术方面，将它们分为三组：完整外骨骼、部分外骨骼和开放研究线。在对它们进行比较分析时，考虑了主要的科学和技术方面。在对这一分析进行总结后得出结论，在外骨骼开发中，可行性和创新性之间的平衡是一个设计挑战。商业外骨骼必须满足标准，同时确保其安全性和坚固性。然而，要实现新一代外骨骼，就意味着需要实施新的硬件范例，并增强关注按需辅助的控制策略。最后，提出了一些改善当前外骨骼设计的方面。
