Re-design of a component of a lower-limb robotic exoskeleton for integrating sensing capacity and enhancing multi-material direct additive manufacturing

Abstract

Exoskeletons are high value-added products, usually manufactured in small series and often required to be adapted to the user. The user comfort is required to be maximum, whilst several sensing and actuating elements must be incorporated in the designs [1]. Multi-material additive manufacturing (AM) makes possible to produce components for such devices, as customised direct manufacturing and several technologies could be applied [2-3]. The present study addresses the redesign of an exoskeleton component, -a shank support used to attach the exoskeleton structure to the patient’s lower limb-, to incorporate specific comfort and sensing functionalities (using 3 different materials: rigid, flexible and conductive) as well as improve its manufacturability by multi-material AM.