Research Projects

Lower-limb exoskeletons (LLE) are effective for gait rehabilitation, providing support to patients during gait and regular feedback to physiotherapists through electronic sensors. However, access to effective rehabilitation remains a challenge in India due to limited exoskeleton products and high costs of imported products. The project aims to perform a detailed gait analysis of the patient, develop a coupled dynamic model involving the user and the exoskeleton, and design a portable exoskeleton for use on both treadmills and plane ground. The gait analysis will be conducted in a gait lab using a visual-based marker data extraction system and force plates for measuring Ground Reaction Forces (GRF). A coupled dynamic model of the human and exoskeleton will be developed and validated using commercially available software. Learning models will be used to estimate GRF in situations where force plates cannot be used. The structure of the unilateral exoskeleton will be prototyped after optimizing the design based on the gait analysis. The control algorithm for the prototyped model will ensure assistance is provided only when the user intends it and synchronous motion between the user and the exoskeleton. User movement will be sensed using IMU sensors in lower-limb joints, and a supervisory controller will be developed to distinguish different gait states. Considering the need for a lower-limb exoskeleton and limitations in current rehabilitation practices, this project proposes an affordable unilateral exoskeleton that encourages users to undergo the rehabilitation process.