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Lower‐limb exoskeletons and powered orthoses are external devices that assist patients with locomotive disorders to achieve correct limb movements. Current batteries cannot meet the long‐term power requirements for these devices, which operate for long periods of time. This issue has become a major challenge in the development of these portable robots. Conversely, legged locomotion in animals and humans is efficient; to emulate this behaviour, biomimetic actuation has been designed attempting to incorporate elements that resemble biological elements, such as tendons and muscles, in the mechanical systems. The purpose of this paper is to present a mechanism that resembles a human tendon to achieve and utilise the synergic actuation of the leg joints.

In this paper, we present a mechanism that resembles a human tendon to move the ankle joint and utilise the synergic actuation of hip and knee joints. Implementation of the proposed transmission system in the ATLAS active orthosis prototype allowed for a better ankle gait fit, which resulted in a more natural stride and, as expected, optimised energy consumption in the locomotion cycle and actuation energy requirements.

The fitted passive ankle motion provides toe‐off impulse, increases support force, and helps provide ground clearance.

A synergetic underactuated movement in the ankle joint, implemented by two cables in each leg, improves the functionality of the device without increasing the leg weight and while maintaining a reduced size. To achieve a correct and efficient motion in the ankle of an active orthosis, two steel cables were attached in the ATLAS orthosis. These cables act as a synergic biarticular linkage and transfer motion from the hip and knee joints. Synergic ankle motion provides impulse in the toe‐off, increases support force, and provides ground clearance. These goals are achieved with low energy expenditure because of synergical actuation, and high inertia is prevented in the more distal limb.

The purpose of this study is to present a variable stiffness actuator, one of whose main features is that the compliant elements simultaneously allow measuring of the torque exerted by the joint. Conceived as a force-controlled actuator, this actuator with Adjustable Rigidity and Embedded Sensor (ARES) is intended to be implemented in the knee of the ATLAS exoskeleton for children to allow the exploitation of the intrinsic dynamic during the locomotion cycle.

A set of simulations were performed to evaluate the behavior of the actuator mechanism and a prototype of the variable impedance actuator was incorporated into the exoskeleton’s knee and evaluations of the torque measurements capabilities along with the rigidity adjustments were made.

Mass and inertia of the actuator are minimized by the compact design and the utilization of the different component for more than one utility. By a proper match of the compliance of the joint and the performed task, good torque measurements can be achieved and no bandwidth saturation is expected.

In the actuator, the compliant elements simultaneously allow measuring of the torque exerted by the join. By a proper match of the compliance of the joint and the performed task, good torque measurements can be achieved and no bandwidth saturation is expected.

This paper aims to deal with the development of a novel lower limb exoskeleton to assist disabled people in stair ascending.

For this purpose, a novel design of a mixture of motors and cables has been proposed for users to wear them easily and show the application of the system in stair climbing.

One of the prominences of this study is the provided robot design where four joints are actuated with only two motors; each motor actuates either the knees or ankles. Another advantage of the designed system is that with motors placed in a backpack, the knee braces can be worn under clothes to be concealed. Finally, the system performance is evaluated using electromyography (EMG) signals showing 28 per cent reduction in energy consumption of related muscles.

This investigation deals with the development of a novel lower limb exoskeleton to assist disabled people in stair ascending.

Lower extremity exoskeletons have drawn much attention recently due to their potential ability to help the stroke and spinal cord injury patients to regain the ability of walking. However, the balance of the human-exoskeleton system (HES) remains a big challenge. Usually, patients use crutches to keep balance when they wear exoskeleton. However, the balance depends greatly on the patient's balance ability and will be inevitably poor occasionally, which often causes the landing in advance of HES. The purpose of this paper is to propose a real-time stepping gait trajectory planning method based on the hip height variation of the swing leg to solve the problem.

The hip height of the swing leg was analyzed and measured. The simulation with MATLAB and the experimental test with the prototype of the proposed gait were conducted to verify its feasibility.

With the proposed method, HES can achieve successful step even when the balance kept by crutches is poor.

Instead of actively avoiding the poor balance due to the instability caused by gravity, the method just modifies the stepping gait passively to avoid the landing in advance when the poor balance appears. In addition, it may not work well when the balance is too poor. Moreover, the proposed gait is just used in the initial stage of rehabilitation training. Besides, the step length of the gait must be limited for comfort.

A real-time stepping gait trajectory planning method based on the hip height variation of the swing leg is first proposed and its feasibility to avoid the landing in advance when the balance kept by the crutches is poor has been preliminary verified.

The purpose of this paper is to model and predict suitable gait trajectories of lower-limb exoskeleton for wearer during rehabilitation walking. Lower-limb exoskeleton is widely used for assisting walk in rehabilitation field. One key problem for exoskeleton control is to model and predict suitable gait trajectories for wearer.

In this paper, the authors propose a Deep Spatial-Temporal Model (DSTM) for generating knee joint trajectory of lower-limb exoskeleton, which first leverages Long-Short Term Memory framework to learn the inherent spatial-temporal correlations of gait features.

With DSTM, the pathological knee joint trajectories can be predicted based on subject’s other joints. The energy expenditure is adopted for verifying the effectiveness of new recovery gait pattern by monitoring dynamic heart rate. The experimental results demonstrate that the subjects have less energy expenditure in new recovery gait pattern than in others’ normal gait patterns, which also means the new recovery gait is more suitable for subject.

Long-Short Term Memory framework is first used for modeling rehabilitation gait, and the deep spatial–temporal relationships between joints of gait data can obtained successfully.

The purpose of this paper is to make compliant training control of exoskeleton for ankle joint with electromyograph (EMG)-torque interface.

A virtual compliant mapping which is modeled by mass-spring-damper system is incorporated into the whole system at the reference input. The EMG-torque interface contains both data acquisition and torque estimator/predictor, and extreme learning machine is utilized for joint torque estimation/prediction from multiple channels of EMG signals.

The reference ankle joint angle to follow is produced from the compliance mapping whose input is the measured/predicted torque on healthy subjects. The control system works well with the desired angle to track. In the actuation level, the input torque to drive the ankle exoskeleton is less than the actual torque of the subject(s). This may have positive influence on diminishing overshoot of input torque from motors and protect the actuators. The torque prediction and final tracking control performance demonstrate the efficiency of the presented architecture.

This work can be beneficial to compliant training of ankle exoskeleton system for pilots and enhance current training control module in rehabilitation.

Many treatment methods for intra-articular fractures of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint are described in the literature without a consensus on the most effective approach. The purpose of this study was to investigate the methods of treatment of PIP joint fractures being used by trauma surgeons in the Republic of Ireland currently and the timing of referral to therapy.

A cross-sectional descriptive study methodology was used to survey trauma surgeons, occupational therapists and physiotherapists in Ireland. An online platform was used. A total of 21 surveys were returned by surgeons and 37 by therapists. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to present the results.

Buddy strapping was reported as the primary treatment method for stable PIP joint fractures. All levels of fracture severity were reported to be treated using traction constructs, which include static and dynamic fixation and orthoses. Unstable fractures were managed using open reduction with internal fixation by 50 per cent of surgeons. Early timing of referral to therapy is reported by more surgeons than therapists. The majority of therapists indicated that they did not have the resources to see patients at the optimal time.

To the authors’ knowledge, this study provides the first description of the management of PIP joint fractures across the Irish health service. The findings of this study suggest that additional therapy resources are required within the health service executive to facilitate the desired early referral to therapy and to enable service development for this category of hand fractures.

This study aims to explore the potential benefits favoring the adaptation of structural optimization techniques in the additive manufacturing (AM) of medical utilities to meet the repetitive demand for functionally precise customized orthoses. Irregularities encountered during the conventional treatment of tendon injuries can be eschewed using advanced structural simulation in design and innovative splint fabrication using 3D printing.

A customized mallet finger splint designed from 3D scans was subjected to ANSYS topological simulation comprising multi-level weight reduction to retain optimal mass (100%, 90%, 80%, 70% and 60%). A batch of the four typical 3D printing materials was chosen to conduct a comparative mechanical and thermal stress analysis, facilitating the selection of the optimal one for fabricating functionally adaptive splints. Assurance of structural safety was accomplished through the experimental validation of simulation results against the testing data set of ASTM D695 and ASTM D638 Type-1 specimens over a universal testing machine (UTM). Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing processed the optimized splint fabrication to assist evaluation of weight reduction percentage, fitting aesthetics, appearance, comfort, practicality and ventilation ease at the user end.

AM efficacy can efficiently execute the design complexity involved in the topology optimization (TO) results and introduces rehabilitation practicality into the application. Topologically optimized splint provided with favorable comfort, stiffness and strengthening features, offers ventilation ease and structural stability for customized appliances, with 30.52% lighter weight and 121.37% faster heat dissipation than unoptimized one.

The state of art multidisciplinary optimization featured with structural and material optimization attributes can deliberately meet medical necessity for performance-oriented orthotic devices.

To promote the intuitiveness of collaborative tasks, the negotiation ability of humans with each other has inspired a large amount of studies aimed at reproducing the capacity in physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). This paper aims to promote mutual adaptation in negotiation when both parties possess incomplete information.

This paper introduces virtual fixtures into the traditional negotiation mechanism, locally regulating tracking trajectory and impedance parameters in the negotiating phase until the final plan integrates bilateral intentions well. In the strategy, robots convey its task information to humans and offer groups of guide plans for them to choose, on the premise of maximizing the robot’s own profits.

Compared with traditional negotiation strategies, humans adapt to robots easily and show lower cognitive load in the method, while the satisfied plan shows better performance for the whole human-robot system.

In this study, this paper proposes a novel negotiation strategy to facilitate the mutual adaptation of humans and robots in complicated shared tasks, especially when both parties possess incomplete information of tasks.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional deformity of the spine. Orthoses are the most commonly used treatment material in AIS. However, the physiological and psychological problems that arise due to these orthoses' rigid structures prevent their use by patients. Due to these problems, the authors have developed a posture supporting garment (soft exosuit) design for individuals aged 10–18, with Cobb angles of 25°–40°, which is the most rapidly progressing stage of the disease.

Soft exosuit prepared with experimental research method and user-centered design approach. The posture supporting effect is achieved by pattern engineering using fabric, belts, baleens and a gradual zipper system for to increase functionality, ease of use and fit.

The first six-month clinical trial in prototype use was carried out with a female patient with a 29° scoliosis Cobb angle and suitable wearing a rigid corset due to AIS. The patient was satisfied with the prototype and its functionality, ease of use, fit and comfort. Cosmetic body deformity due to scoliosis was not observed, and the Cobb angle was decreased by 10.7% at the end of the sixth month. Soft exosuit has been found effective in supporting the posture of individuals who had ongoing spinal growth.

The most important limitation of this study is that, despite a large number of prototype and prototype studies, trials could not be conducted on a large number of patients with different characteristics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More experimental studies are needed to generalize the product to large audiences. The first goal is to investigate more patients with different spinal deformities in the future. The second goal is to measure the materials used and the quantitative measurement of body responses with the biomechanics field. It is planned to increase the soft exosuit functionality with smart textiles by adding wearable devices with future research.

This study is important because it constitutes the basis for future studies on pattern cutting soft materials' positioning.

It is thought that the study will contribute to functional solutions for different spinal deformities.

It is an entire functional soft garment without an actuator. It is customizable and modular for patients with spinal deformities. It is thought that the study will contribute to functional solutions for spinal deformities.