Super-Smart Leg Braces: The Future of Walking

Ever thought about a super smart leg brace that could help you walk better? Meet the lower limb exoskeleton (LLE), a hi-tech, electrically powered leg brace designed to assist with walking. It's like your own personal walking buddy! The LLE is made up of three main parts: the mechanical structure, the actuation system, and the sensor system. These parts work together like a well-oiled machine to make the brace move smoothly. Depending on where you start, the LLE can be in a non-human-like state or a human-like state. But how does it know what you want to do? It uses something called human motion intention (HMI) estimation. This means it can figure out if you want to walk or stand still by detecting different phases of your movement using fuzzy logic. It then plans a smooth path for your joints to follow.To ensure it moves in sync with you, the LLE uses two special control strategies. One helps keep it stable when you're standing still, while the other makes it move quickly and accurately when you're walking. There's also a secret smoothing method to handle sudden changes in movement, making the switch between standing and walking super smooth. Researchers tested the LLE in real-life scenarios. The results were amazing! The LLE helped people walk really well and was very stable. This was all thanks to its clever HMI methodology and dual-mode control strategy.