Soft Exoskeletons: Development, Requirements, and Challenges of the Last Decade

• Main Authors: Alan Francisco Pérez Vidal, Jesse Yoe Rumbo Morales, Gerardo Ortiz Torres, Felipe de Jesús Sorcia Vázquez, Alan Cruz Rojas, Jorge Aurelio Brizuela Mendoza, Julio César Rodríguez Cerda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Actuators
• Subjects: soft exoskeleton; rehabilitation therapy; robotic enhancer; daily assistance; human–machine interface
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/10/7/166

In this article, various investigations on soft exoskeletons are presented and their functional and structural characteristics are analyzed. The present work is oriented to the studies of the last decade and covers the upper and lower joints, specifically the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, and ankle. Its functionality, applicability, and main characteristics are exposed, such as degrees of freedom, force, actuators, power transmission methods, control systems, and sensors. The purpose of this work is to show the current trend in the development of soft exoskeletons, in addition to specifying the essential characteristics that must be considered in its design and the challenges that its construction implies.