John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Nat Biomed Eng. 2023 Apr;7(4):456-472. doi: 10.1038/s41551-022-00984-1. Epub 2022 Dec 22.
Exoskeletons can augment the performance of unimpaired users and restore movement in individuals with gait impairments. Knowledge of how users interact with wearable devices and of the physiology of locomotion have informed the design of rigid and soft exoskeletons that can specifically target a single joint or a single activity. In this Review, we highlight the main advances of the past two decades in exoskeleton technology and in the development of lower-extremity exoskeletons for locomotor assistance, discuss research needs for such wearable robots and the clinical requirements for exoskeleton-assisted gait rehabilitation, and outline the main clinical challenges and opportunities for exoskeleton technology.
外骨骼可增强健全使用者的表现能力,并恢复步态障碍患者的运动能力。人们对外骨骼设备的使用方式和运动生理学的了解,为刚性和软性外骨骼的设计提供了信息,这些外骨骼可以专门针对单个关节或单个活动。在这篇综述中,我们强调了过去二十年在外骨骼技术和下肢外骨骼运动辅助方面的主要进展,讨论了此类可穿戴机器人的研究需求以及外骨骼辅助步态康复的临床要求,并概述了外骨骼技术的主要临床挑战和机遇。