Digital Guinea Pig: Merits and Methods of Human-in-the-Loop Simulation for Upper-Limb Exoskeletons
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Date
2022
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Conference Paper
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yes
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Abstract
Exoskeletons operate in continuous haptic interaction with a human limb. Thus, this interaction is a key factor to consider during the development of hardware and control policies for these devices. Physics simulations can complement real-world experiments for prototype validation, leading to higher efficiency in hardware and software development iterations as well as increased safety for participants and robot hardware. Here, we present a simulation framework of the full rigid-body dynamics of a coupled human and exoskeleton arm built to validate the full software stack. We present a method to model the human-robot interaction dynamics as decoupled spring-damper systems based on anthropometric data. Further, we demonstrate the application of the simulation framework to predict the closed-loop haptic-rendering performance of a 9-DOF exoskeleton in interaction with a human. The simulation was capable of simulating the closed-loop system's reaction to an impact on a haptic wall. The intrusion into the compliant walls was predicted with a relative accuracy of 6 % to 13 %. Admissible control gains could be predicted with an accuracy of around 14 %, and higher prediction accuracy is indicated when modeling the torque tracking bandwidth of the actuators. Hence, the simulation is valuable for validating prototype software, developing intuition, and a better understanding of the complex characteristics of the coupled system dynamics, even though the quantitative prediction is limited.
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published
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2022 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)
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9896520
Publisher
IEEE
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2022 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR 2022)
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Software
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03654 - Riener, Robert / Riener, Robert