DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF LOWER LIMB EXOSKELETON FOR STROKE PATIENTS

The supply of blood flow to the brain is either reduced or blocked this leads to stroke due to lack of oxygen and nutrients to the brain cells. The post-stroke symptoms include irregular gait patterns, deviation from normal gait movement so the system will help to normalize the pattern of patients. A device to be designed which goes along well with natural human gait for translational of body center of mass with minimum expenditure of energy. This is possible when developing mechanism in which knee, ankle, foot motion coordinating and interacting with each other. The system should support stability, mobility and maintain balance along CoM. This mechanism is simple but it is limited adaption with certain gait condition and imitates knee during swing and support phase referred as bio imitation. The main considerations include Force, Torque, Position and bioelectrical signals. Walking is derived as sum of gravitational potential and forward kinetic energy, and thus energy is exchanged in terms of walking. Human walking is categorized as example of Inverted pendulum model. A prototype model of exoskeleton is modelled to move in a desired position with zero impedance.