OPTIMAL MECHANICAL DESIGN OF A HUMAN UPPER LIMB BIO-INSPIRED EXOSKELETON

N.B․ Zakaryan, M.G. Harutyunyan, S.D. Ghazaryan, Yu.L. Sarkissyan
2021 MECHANICS, MACHINE SCIENCE, MACHINE-BUILDING  
The small size structure, small weight andenergy efficiencyare of great importance for thedesign ofbio-inspired exoskeletons. In recent years, the authors have proposed light-weight exoskeleton designs for upper/lower limbs, where rigid links of the exoskeleton are replaced by lightweight cuffs attached to the moving limb segments, and it is suggested to use flexible transmission systems, such as cablesor flexible actuators such as electraoactive polymers instead of electric motors attached at
more » ... he joints. Cables, driven by motors, are routed through these cuffs to move the limb segments. Previous work by authors demonstrated via computer modeling and experiments that these non-traditional systems have significant advantages. But they also pose problems which can be crucial for exoskeletons. This paper focuses on the optimal mechanical design of the proposedhuman upper limb bio-inspired exoskeleton for improving its above-mentioned characteristics. Cable connection schemes and optimization methods of some similar well-known exoskeletons are considered. The importance of using non-traditional optimization methods and drawbacks of traditional methods are highlighted. The advantages of the differential evolution (DE) method compared to similar optimization methods are revealed. A DE based algorithm for optimal mechanical design of the human upper limb bio-inspired exoskeleton is developed using MATLAB programming, and optimal values of the design parameters are determined.
doi:10.53297/18293387-2021.2-41 fatcat:2x7jduknsvbn3dmqg6x7rtlpoq