arXiv:2603.13531cs.RO2026-03中稿 · ICRA

用气动人工肌肉设计软式头颈外骨骼,实现精准支撑与运动追踪。

Fabric Pneumatic Artificial Muscle-Based Head-Neck Exosuit: Design, Modeling, and Evaluation

  • 采用织物气动人工肌肉,通过物理建模计算所需驱动压力。
  • 重力补偿仅覆盖43%工作空间,但可实现头颈轨迹跟踪。
  • 提出颈部压缩力新指标,适合神经康复患者穿戴体验评估。

可穿戴外骨骼可辅助从康复到日常活动的各类动作;尤其对于某些神经系统疾病患者,头颈支持至关重要。相比静态支具,刚性连杆外骨骼虽能提升头颈活动能力,但因体积大、结构受限,促使研究转向“柔性”驱动方式。本文提出一种基于织物气动人工肌肉的头颈外骨骼设计,并构建了物理模型,用于推导补偿重力负载所需的气压。模型分析显示,有限的作动器长度导致83%的工作空间覆盖率,而重力补偿则进一步降至43%。我们引入颈部压缩力作为新型潜在舒适度指标。通过模型对比不同作动器布局的扭矩输出,优选出在侧向偏移中保持稳定且轴向旋转扭矩高的设计方案。实验数据趋势预测准确,表明将作动器绕颈包裹并非显著影响因素。测试假人与真人演示均证实该外骨骼可提供功能性头颈支撑及轨迹追踪,凸显人工肌肉驱动的软体执行器在头颈运动辅助中的潜力。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Wearable exosuits assist human movement in tasks ranging from rehabilitation to daily activities; specifically, head-neck support is necessary for patients with certain neurological disorders. Rigid-link exoskeletons have shown to enable head-neck mobility compared to static braces, but their bulkiness and restrictive structure inspire designs using "soft" actuation methods. In this paper, we propose a fabric pneumatic artificial muscle-based exosuit design for head-neck support. We describe the design of our prototype and physics-based model, enabling us to derive actuator pressures required to compensate for gravitational load. Our modeled range of motion and workspace analysis indicate that the limited actuator lengths impose slight limitations (83% workspace coverage), and gravity compensation imposes a more significant limitation (43% workspace coverage). We introduce compression force along the neck as a novel, potentially comfort-related metric. We further apply our model to compare the torque output of various actuator placement configurations, allowing us to select a design with stability in lateral deviation and high axial rotation torques. The model correctly predicts trends in measured data where wrapping the actuators around the neck is not a significant factor. Our test dummy and human user demonstration confirm that the exosuit can provide functional head support and trajectory tracking, underscoring the potential of artificial muscle-based soft actuation for head-neck mobility assistance.

外骨骼软机器人气动人工肌肉康复辅助

Thank you to arXiv for use of its open access interoperability. PaperDance 不是 arXiv 官方产品;中文卡片由大模型生成,请以原文为准。