Wearable Robotics Assisted Bipedal Balance and Locomotion Control with Whole-body Musculoskeletal Simulations

Chengtian Ma, Chenhui Zuo, Yunyue Wei, Yanan Sui

Keywords: wearable robotics, balance control, human locomotion, musculoskeletal system

Abstract: The design and control of wearable robotics to assist human movement present a significant challenge, largely due to the complexity of human-robot interaction. Traditional development cycles that rely on extensive hardware prototyping and human subject testing are often costly, time-consuming, and pose potential safety risks. We present a novel simulation framework for the rapid, real-time optimization of wearable robotics hardware and control parameters. Our approach leverages a detailed, whole-body musculoskeletal model to simulate dynamic interactions between the human user and an exoskeleton during both locomotion and balance tasks. This collaborative simulation enables the efficient evaluation of various wearable robotics configurations and control strategies, providing deep insights into their effects on human biomechanics, including muscle activation patterns and stability. We demonstrate the framework's efficacy by optimizing hip exoskeletons for assistance, proving that this approach can rapidly provide actionable insights into device design and control, thereby accelerating the development and reducing the risks associated with creating assistive robotic technologies.

Submission Number: 20