Description:WEARABLE ASSISTIVE ROBOT

FIELD OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a wearable assistive robot for a human in the form of an exoskeleton, and more particularly to a device for aiding with rehabilitation of humans with upper limb paralysis and/or augmenting a human’s strength during performance of certain motions or tasks.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Neurological injuries are the leading cause of serious, long-term disabilities. Impairment of motor function is the most common problem that surfaces after developing neurological disorders such as stroke or incurring injury. Physical rehabilitation therapy is indispensable for treating neurological disabilities, such as such as post-traumatic arthritis. Therapies are more effective when exercises are repetitive, intense, long term and task specific. For example, patients with hand function impairment are required to undergo continuous passive motion exercises, which involve repetitive tasks such as grasping and opposition motion. However, repetitive therapies with high intensity are costly due to the manual labour involved. Assistance of repetitive and physically involved rehabilitation exercises using robotic devices not only helps eliminate the physical burden of movement therapy for the therapists, but also decreases application related costs.
[0003] Robotic devices with the ability to carry out repetitive tasks have been proposed in order to assist the caregivers in the rehabilitation process and provide a more quantitative process. These devices include a set of artificial limbs, with these artificial limbs being movable by actuators under the direction of control systems, that potentiate improved function of the person's appendages for activities including, but not limited to, enabling walking for a disabled person, granting greater strength and endurance in a wearer's arms, or allowing for more weight to be carried by a wearer while walking. For instance, exoskeletons are mechatronic systems worn by a person in such a way that a direct transfer of mechanical power from the exoskeleton occurs. Some wearable exoskeletons have been designed for medical, commercial, and military applications. In particular, medical exoskeleton devices are being developed to restore and rehabilitate proper muscle function for people with disorders that affect muscle control. However, many of these applications of exoskeleton devices have yet to find widespread use, acceptance, or practicality because of their usually large size, heavy weight and multiple motors and joints which adds to complexity of operations. Further, known robotic rehabilitation devices for disabled persons are mostly confined to wheelchairs and other available devices in rehabilitation institutions are used for training purposes only. For instance, there have been attempts to solve the problem of upper limb paralysis treatment with the help of exoskeleton. The known designs generally make the whole exoskeleton in passive format which will require a greater number of actuators, hence it would not be easy for a patient body to handle. Others have made large assembly attached to some static elements like wheelchair, etc. It would reduce its advantage of being a mobile exoskeleton which a patient could wear while doing daily chores.
[0004] Furthermore, human-robot interaction has since its inception always proved to be a very complex yet vital issue. Numerous articulated arms have been developed over the years for automation. The articulated arms are based on the concept of a fixed base and a set of rotary joints coordinating with one another. Different such robots like the six degrees of freedom robotic arm, the Scara® robot, the four DOF robotic arms and others have been developed over the years. During recent times, there has been a widespread need for the robots to interact with the environment and then with the humans. Wearable robots like the exoskeletons, have become useful machines of human robot interaction. Quadruped robots subsequently interact with the ground, which is the environment. Interactive human robot applications so far have addressed the primary issue of human safety, for instance training the robot to protect the humans in cases when they come in proximity/ happen to touch the robot. Usually, the robots are programmed to stop in most of such cases. Few other implementations focus on including just the user’s intent, without any default/baseline trajectory to follow, which does not tell the robots how to behave in case the user does not supply any input. Such interactions are not flexible with respect to amount of control the user has on the behaviour of the robot, rather they provide a rigid following of only the user’s command. Also, there is a need for a software suite which can accommodate different robots in such a way that each of the robots can be programmed to interact with the human.
[0005] A solution that enables daily independent activities that restore the dignity of handicapped persons, dramatically ease their lives, and reduce medical and other related expenses is so far not available. The present disclosure has been made in view of such considerations, and it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a wearable assistive robot for humans, like a patient, which may help the patient to do normal day-to-day activities including picking and placing the objects, drinking, eating etc., while the overall exoskeleton is mobile, and while weight of the exoskeleton is low which make it wearable for long duration. Furthermore, there is a need of a general purpose software suite to accommodate the user’s intent and modify the existing trajectory on the go and to be able to do that for any articulated arm which may work in tandem with the human.

SUMMARY
[0006] In an aspect, a wearable assistive robot for a human is disclosed. The wearable assistive robot comprises a backplate adapted to be supported over a torso of the human. The wearable assistive robot further comprises a first actuator mounted on the backplate. The first actuator is configured to provide a first rotational movement about a first axis parallel to a spine of the human when the backplate is supported over the torso thereof. The wearable assistive robot further comprises a first link having a first end and a second end. The first link is rotatably coupled to the first actuator at the first end thereof to be rotated by the first rotational movement provided thereby. The wearable assistive robot further comprises a second actuator provided at the second end of the first link. The second actuator is configured to provide a second rotational movement about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The wearable assistive robot further comprises a second link having a first end and a second end. The second link is rotatably coupled to the second actuator at the first end thereof to be rotated by the second rotational movement provided thereby. The wearable assistive robot further comprises a third actuator provided at the second end of the second link. The third actuator is configured to provide a third rotational movement about a third axis perpendicular to the first axis and parallel to the second axis. The wearable assistive robot further comprises a third link having a first end and a second end. The third link rotatably coupled to the third actuator at the first end thereof to be rotated by the third rotational movement provided thereby. Herein, the third link is adapted to support a forearm of the human in operation, proximal to the second end thereof, when the backplate is supported over the torso thereof, such that in operation the first rotational movement causes an adduction movement of the arm of the human, the second rotational movement causes a flexion movement of the arm of the human, and the third rotational movement causes a flexion movement of the forearm of the human.
[0007] In one or more embodiments, the wearable assistive robot further comprises a passive joint disposed between the first end and the second end of the first link, dividing the first link into a first sub-link comprising the said first end and a second sub-link comprising the said second end, with the second sub-link rotatably coupled to the first sub-link at the passive joint to allow for a fourth rotational movement of the second sub-link about a fourth axis perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis, and such that, in operation, the fourth rotational movement causes an abduction movement of the arm of the human.
[0008] In one or more embodiments, the wearable assistive robot further comprises an encoder operationally coupled to the passive joint to measure the fourth rotational movement provided thereby.
[0009] In one or more embodiments, the wearable assistive robot further comprises a controller configured to regulate, in operation, at least one of the first actuator to control the first rotational movement provided thereby, the second actuator to control the second rotational movement provided thereby, and the third actuator to control the third rotational movement provided thereby based, at least in part, on the measured fourth rotational movement.
[0010] In one or more embodiments, the wearable assistive robot further comprises a battery pack removably mounted onto the backplate. The battery pack is configured to power one or more of the first actuator, the second actuator and the third actuator.
[0011] In an embodiment, the first link, the second link and the third link are substantially hollow members to allow for routing of wires from the battery pack to one or more of the first actuator, the second actuator and the third actuator from inside thereof.
[0012] In an embodiment, the battery pack is mounted onto the backplate such that a weight thereof is substantially distributed over a lower portion of the torso of the human when the wearable assistive robot is worn thereby.
[0013] In an embodiment, weights of at least the first actuator and the second actuator are substantially distributed over an upper portion of the torso of the human when the backplate is supported over the torso thereof.
[0014] In an embodiment, the wearable assistive robot further comprises one or more straps adapted to go over at least one of shoulders of the human and be attached to the backplate from both ends thereof, to support the backplate over the torso of the human.
[0015] In an embodiment, the wearable assistive robot further comprises a waist belt adapted to encircle a waist of the human and be clamped by a buckle thereat, to support the backplate over the torso of the human.
[0016]
[0017] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0018] For a more complete understanding of example embodiments of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0019] FIG. 1A illustrates a diagrammatic front view representation of a wearable assistive robot being worn by a human, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 1B illustrates a diagrammatic back view representation of the wearable assistive robot being worn by the human, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 2A illustrates a diagrammatic front perspective view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 2B illustrates a diagrammatic front perspective exploded view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 2C illustrates a diagrammatic back perspective exploded view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 2D illustrates a diagrammatic front planar view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 2E illustrates a diagrammatic back planar view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 3A illustrates a diagrammatic front planar view representation of a backplate of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 3B illustrates a diagrammatic back planar view representation of the backplate of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 3C illustrates a diagrammatic side planar view representation of the backplate of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0029] FIG. 4A illustrates a diagrammatic perspective view representation of a battery pack housing of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0030] FIG. 4B illustrates a diagrammatic back planar view representation of the battery pack housing of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 5 illustrates a diagrammatic perspective view representation of a first link of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 6 illustrates a diagrammatic perspective view representation of a second link of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0033] FIG. 7A illustrates a diagrammatic perspective view representation of a third link of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0034] FIG. 7B illustrates a diagrammatic side planar view representation of the third link of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0035] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate diagrammatic representations of the wearable assistive robot depicting the first link being rotated by a first rotational movement provided by a first actuator therein, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0036] FIGS. 9A to 9D illustrate diagrammatic representations of the wearable assistive robot depicting the second link being rotated by a second rotational movement provided by a second actuator therein, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0037] FIGS. 10A to 10D illustrate diagrammatic representations of the wearable assistive robot depicting the third link being rotated by a third rotational movement provided by a third actuator therein, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0038] FIG. 11A illustrates a diagrammatic front view representation of a wearable assistive robot being worn by a human, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0039] FIG. 11B illustrates a diagrammatic back view representation of the wearable assistive robot being worn by the human, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0040] FIG. 12A illustrates a diagrammatic front perspective view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0041] FIG. 12B illustrates a diagrammatic front perspective exploded view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0042] FIG. 12C illustrates a diagrammatic back perspective exploded view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0043] FIG. 12D illustrates a diagrammatic front planar view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0044] FIG. 12E illustrates a diagrammatic back planar view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0045] FIG. 12F illustrates a diagrammatic side planar view representation of the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0046] FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate diagrammatic representations of the wearable assistive robot depicting the first link being rotated by a first rotational movement provided by a first actuator therein, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0047] FIGS. 14A to 14D illustrate diagrammatic representations of the wearable assistive robot depicting the second link being rotated by a second rotational movement provided by a second actuator therein, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0048] FIGS. 15A to 15D illustrate diagrammatic representations of the wearable assistive robot depicting the third link being rotated by a third rotational movement provided by a third actuator therein, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0049] FIGS. 16A to 16C illustrate diagrammatic representations of the wearable assistive robot depicting a second sub-link being rotated with respect to a first sub-link by a fourth rotational movement allowed by a passive joint disposed in the first link therein, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0050] FIGS. 17A illustrates a diagrammatic planar representation of a passive joint, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0051] FIGS. 17B illustrates a diagrammatic section view of the passive joint of FIG. 17A, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0052] FIG. 18 illustrates a diagrammatic sectional view of the passive joint showing details of an encoder therein, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0053] FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram illustration of hardware for a controller implemented executing software for controlling the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and
[0054] FIGS. 20A to 20C illustrate schematic block diagrams depicting implementation of a general purpose software suite for controlling the wearable assistive robot, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0055] In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to these specific details.
[0056] Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearance of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Further, the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not for other embodiments.
[0057] Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present disclosure.
[0058] Embodiments described herein may be discussed in the general context of computer-executable instructions residing on some form of computer-readable storage medium, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media may comprise non-transitory computer-readable storage media and communication media; non-transitory computer-readable media include all computer-readable media except for a transitory, propagating signal. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.
[0059] Some portions of the detailed description that follows are presented and discussed in terms of a process or method. Although steps and sequencing thereof are disclosed in figures herein describing the operations of such process or method, such steps and sequencing are exemplary. Embodiments are well suited to performing various other steps or variations of the steps recited in the flowchart of the figure herein, and in a sequence other than that depicted and described herein.
[0060] Some portions of the detailed descriptions that follow are presented in terms of procedures, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In the present application, a procedure, logic block, process, or the like, is conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or instructions leading to a desired result. The steps are those utilizing physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, although not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a computer system. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as transactions, bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, samples, pixels, or the like.
[0061] Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1B, illustrated are diagrammatic representations of a wearable assistive robot (as represented by reference numeral 100) being worn by a human (represented herein by reference numeral 10), in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The wearable assistive robot 100 is in the form of an exoskeleton, as known in the art, which is a mechatronic system worn by the human 10, in some examples, under the clothes, and in other examples, on top of the clothing, in such a way that a direct transfer of mechanical power from the exoskeleton occurs. The wearable assistive robot 100 may be applied in a variety of settings to support the human 10, for example, telemanipulation, man-amplification, rehabilitation, and to assist impaired human motor control. In a particular example, the wearable assistive robot 100 is designed to be implemented for treatment of patients (such as the human 10, in present examples) with limited locomotion ability in an upper limb, like an arm (represented herein by reference numeral 12). The present wearable assistive robot 100 is adapted to be supported over a torso (represented herein by reference numeral 14) of the human 10, with its weight being supported by shoulders (represented herein by reference numeral 16), while also encircling a waist (represented herein by reference numeral 18) of the human 10. As may be seen, the wearable assistive robot 100, while being supported over the torso 14 of the human 10, has a single point of contact with a forearm (represented herein by reference numeral 20), as part of the arm 12, of the human, as discussed further in detail later in the description.
[0062] Referring to FIGS. 2A to 2E, as shown, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a backplate 102. Herein, the backplate 102 is adapted to be supported over the torso 14 of the human 10 (as better illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B). Specifically, the backplate 102 is adapted to be supported over an upper region of the torso 14, at a back (i.e., posterior side of body) of the human 10. The backplate 102 is in the form of a substantially flat member which may be provided with some contours adapting generally to the shape of the torso 14 of the human 10, to allow for good contact with the torso 14 of the human 10 when supported thereon. Herein, a front face of the backplate 102 is disposed towards the back of the human 10, when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn thereby. Further referring to FIGS. 3A to 3C illustrating detailed views of the backplate 102, in combination, as shown, the backplate 102 is provided with a first set of slits 104 to allow for coupling of a first tensioning member 106, in the form of one or more straps (with the two terms being interchangeably used), by passing therethrough, and which may be adapted to go over at least one of the shoulders 16 of the human 10 and be attached to the backplate 102 from both ends thereof when the wearable assistive robot 100 is supported thereover. The backplate 102 is further provided with a second set of slits 108 to allow for coupling of a second tensioning member 110, in the form of a waist belt (with the two terms being interchangeably used), by passing therethrough, and which may be adapted to encircle the waist 18 of the human 10 when the wearable assistive robot 100 is supported thereover. In an example, the second tensioning member 110 may be clamped against the waist 18 by a buckle 112 provided to lock two ends thereof. Also, as shown, the backplate 102 may further include third slits 114 to allow for coupling of a third tensioning member 116 which may help to support one or more components of the wearable assistive robot 100 onto the backplate 102, as may be required and discussed later in the description. In some examples, the backplate 102 may also be provided with a cushion layer 118 disposed towards lower portion thereof at a front face where the backplate 102 may otherwise be in contact with the torso 14 of the human 10. The cushion layer 118 may thus support a bottom region of the torso 14, at the back (i.e., the posterior side of body), when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn by the human 10. Herein, the cushion layer 118 helps to eliminate a gap between the battery pack 120 and the spine of the human 10. In the present examples, the cushion layer 118 is made of insulating material, such as foam, so that heat could not transfer from the battery pack 12 to the human 10, and vice-versa.
[0063] Also, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2E, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a battery pack 120 removably mounted onto the backplate 102. In the present embodiments, the battery pack 120 is mounted onto the backplate 102 such that a weight thereof is substantially distributed over a lower portion of the torso 14 of the human 10 when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn thereby. In some examples, as shown, the battery pack 120 may be mounted onto a spine supporting member 122 of the backplate 102. In the illustrated examples, the spine supporting member 122 may be extending downwards from the backplate 102 towards the lower portion of the torso 14 of the human 10, when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn thereby. FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate detailed views of the battery pack 120. As shown, the battery pack 120 includes a fourth set of slits 124 (four shown in the present examples) which may allow the battery pack 120 to be mounted onto the backplate 102. Herein, the said third tensioning member 116 may pass through the fourth set of slits 124 and be coupled to the waist belt 110, to removably affix the battery pack 120 onto the backplate 102. Now, referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B in more detail, as shown, the battery pack 120 is generally in the form of a hollow cuboidal member. Herein, the battery pack 120 provides a pocket (generally referred by reference numeral 126) allows for slidingly mounting a battery (not shown) therein. This may allow the use of a rechargeable battery with the wearable assistive robot 100, which may be charged by removing from the battery pack 120 by sliding out from the pocket 126 therein, for convenience. Further, as shown, the battery pack 120 provides a compartment (generally referred by reference numeral 128), which may be closed by using a cover 130 (as shown). Herein, the said compartment 128 may house circuitry for controlling the wearable assistive robot 100, as discussed later in the description in more detail. In one or more examples, the cover 130 may be provided with vents (as shown) to allow for removal of heat generated by the circuitry from inside of the compartment 128, in order to keep the circuitry cool inside thereof.
[0064] Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2E, the wearable assistive robot 100 provides an actuating arrangement to assist the human 10, like a patient, to perform motion of a limb, such as the arm 12 thereof. For this purpose, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a set of links rotatably connected to one or other, with the rotation being provided by a set of actuators disposed at points of connection between the links. Herein, the links may generally be rigid members to provide constrained movement to the arm 12 of the human 10. In the present examples, the actuators may include rotational bearings connected to co-centred rings which may be independently driven (rotated) relative to each other to provide movement mimicking a human's joint in its natural complexity, comprising superimposed translational and rotational movements. Such actuators may be contemplated by a person skilled in the art and thus have not been further described herein for the brevity of the present disclosure.
[0065] In particular, as shown, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a first actuator 132 mounted on the backplate 102. As may be seen, the backplate 102 provides a coupling member 134, in the form of a ring, to allow for mounting of the first actuator 132 thereon. Herein, the first actuator 132 is configured to provide a first rotational movement ‘R1’ about a first axis ‘A1’ parallel to a spine of the human 10 (as better shown in FIG. 1B) when the backplate 102 is supported over the torso 14 thereof (or in other words, when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn thereby). Also, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a first link 136 rotatably coupled to the first actuator 132. FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed view of the first link 136. As shown, the first link 136 has a first end 136a and a second end 136b. In the present configuration, the first link 136 is rotatably coupled to the first actuator 132 at the first end 136a thereof to be rotated by the first rotational movement ‘R1’ provided thereby. For this purpose, the first link 136 includes a first coupling member 138a provided at the first end 136a thereof, to allow for rotatably coupling the first link 136 with the first actuator 132 via the coupling member 134 in the backplate 102. The first link 136 also includes a second coupling member 138b provided at the second end 136b thereof, to allow for rotatably coupling the first link 136 with another one of the said set of actuators, as discussed in the proceeding paragraphs.
[0066] Also, as shown, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a second actuator 140. The second actuator 140 is provided at the second end 136b of the first link 136, coupled to the second coupling member 138b of the first link 136. Herein, the second actuator 140 is configured to provide a second rotational movement ‘R2’ about a second axis ‘A2’ perpendicular to the first axis ‘A1’ (as better shown in FIG. 1B), when the backplate 102 is supported over the torso 14 thereof (or in other words, when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn thereby). Also, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a second link 142 rotatably coupled to the second actuator 140. FIG. 6 illustrates a detailed view of the second link 142. As shown, the second link 142 has a first end 142a and a second end 142b. In the present configuration, the second link 142 is rotatably coupled to the second actuator 140 at the first end 142a thereof to be rotated by the second rotational movement ‘R2’ provided thereby. For this purpose, the second link 142 includes a third coupling member 144a provided at the first end 142a thereof, to allow for rotatably coupling the second link 142 with the second actuator 140 via the second coupling member 138b of the first link 136. The second link 142 also includes a fourth coupling member 144b provided at the second end 142b thereof, to allow for rotatably coupling the second link 142 with yet another one of the said set of actuators, as discussed in the proceeding paragraphs.
[0067] Further, as shown, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a third actuator 146. The third actuator 146 is provided at the second end 142b of the second link 142, coupled to the fourth coupling member 144b of the second link 142. Herein, the third actuator 146 is configured to provide a third rotational movement ‘R3’ about a third axis ‘A3’ perpendicular to the first axis ‘A1’ and parallel to the second axis ‘A2’ (as better shown in FIG. 1B), when the backplate 102 is supported over the torso 14 thereof (or in other words, when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn thereby). Also, the wearable assistive robot 100 includes a third link 148 rotatably coupled to the third actuator 146. Herein, the third link 148 is the end link in the wearable assistive robot 100. FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate detailed views of the third link 148. As shown, the third link 148 has a first end 148a and a second end 148b. In the present configuration, the third link 148 is rotatably coupled to the third actuator 146 at the first end 148a thereof to be rotated by the third rotational movement ‘R3’ provided thereby. For this purpose, the third link 148 includes a fifth coupling member 150 provided at the first end 148a thereof, to allow for rotatably coupling the third link 148 with the third actuator 146 via the fourth coupling member 144b of the second link 142. The third link 148 also includes a cuff member 152 provided at the second end 148b thereof. The cuff member 152 allows to support the forearm 20 of the human 10, proximal to the second end 148b of the third link 148, when the backplate 102 is supported over the torso 14 thereof (or in other words, when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn thereby). Herein, the cuff member 152 may be provided with a fifth set of slits 154 to allow for affixing and tightening of a cuff strap 156 to support the forearm 20 of the human 10.
[0068] In operation, the third link 148 is adapted to support the forearm 20 of the human 10, proximal to the second end 148b thereof, when the backplate 102 is supported over the torso 14 of the human 10 (or in other words, when the wearable assistive robot 100 is worn thereby). With this configuration, as may be understood from depictions of FIGS. 8A and 8B, the first rotational movement ‘R1’ of the first actuator 132 causes the first link 136 to rotate to provide an adduction movement of the arm 12 of the human 10. Also, as may be understood from the depictions of FIGS. 9A to 9D, the second rotational movement ‘R2’ of the second actuator 140 causes the second link 142 to rotate to provide a flexion movement of the arm 12 of the human 10. Further, as may be understood from depiction of FIGS. 10A to 10D, the third rotational movement ‘R3’ of the third actuator 146 causes the third link 148 to rotate to provide a flexion movement of the forearm 20 (as part of the arm 12) of the human 10. Such movements of the arm 12 and/or the forearm 20 therein provided by the wearable assistive robot 100 may allow the human 10, like a patient suffering from impairment of motor function in the arm 12, to do normal day-to-day activities including picking and placing the objects, drinking, eating etc.
[0069] This way the present wearable assistive robot 100 is able to provide three degrees of freedom for movement of the arm 12 (including the forearm 20) for the human 10. It may be appreciated that in the present wearable assistive robot 100, the battery pack 120, or specifically the removable and rechargeable battery housed in the pocket 126 thereof, is configured to power one or more of the first actuator 132, the second actuator 140 and the third actuator 146. For this purpose, the battery in the battery pack 120 may need to be physically connected to the first actuator 132, the second actuator 140 and the third actuator 146 using wires. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the first link 136, the second link 142 and the third link 148 are substantially hollow members to allow for routing of the said wires from the battery pack 120 to one or more of the first actuator 132, the second actuator 140 and the third actuator 146 from inside thereof, so that the wires may be properly managed and does not come out loose. Such internal routing of the wires may also help with design aesthetics while reducing the risk of damage to the wires and may also avoid interruption with the actuators 132, 140 and 146, thereby increasing the overall performance of the wearable assistive robot 100. Further, the first link 136, the second link 142 and the third link 148 being substantially hollow members help to provide good stiffness and bending moment thereto, while reducing the overall weight of the wearable assistive robot 100.
[0070] Referring now to FIGS. 11A and 11B, illustrated are representations of a wearable assistive robot 200 being worn by a human 10, in accordance with one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure. The wearable assistive robot 200 of the said alternative and/or additional embodiments differs from the wearable assistive robot 100 as disclosed above in reference to FIGS. 1A to 10D in that the wearable assistive robot 200 provides an additional degree of movement for the arm 12 of the human 10, which is an abduction movement of the arm 12, by introducing an additional joint therein as compared to the wearable assistive robot 100. Herein, the introduction of the additional joint was made to give an extra degree of freedom to the exoskeleton of the wearable assistive robot 100. The additional joint achieves this by tracing the motion of the shoulder 16 of the human 10, basically to generalize anthropometric kinematics. The details of the wearable assistive robot 200 and its components have been described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 16C as discussed in the proceeding paragraphs. It may be noted that most of the elements (components) as described in reference to the wearable assistive robot 100 are same in design, configuration and specification as used in the wearable assistive robot 200, and thus the reference numerals for the same are carried over for the description of FIGS. 11A to 16C and also details for the same are not repeated herein for the brevity of the present disclosure.
[0071] As illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B in combination, the wearable assistive robot 200 includes an additional joint 202 disposed between the first end 136a and the second end 136b of the first link 136. In the present embodiments, the said additional joint 202 is a passive joint 202, with the two terms being sometimes interchangeably used herein. Referring more particularly to FIGS. 12A to 12F, as shown, the wearable assistive robot 200 includes the passive joint 202 generally at a middle of the first link 136 between the first end 136a and the second end 136b thereof, and thereby dividing the first link 136 into a first sub-link 204 comprising the first end 136a of the first link 136 and a second sub-link 206 comprising the second end 136b of the first link 136. It may be contemplated that the said first end 136a of the first link 136 forms one of the ends for the first sub-link 204 and the said second end 136b of the first link 136 forms one of the ends for the second sub-link 206 respectively, while other ends of the first sub-link 204 and the second sub-link 206 may be rotatably coupled to each other at the said passive joint 202. Herein, the second sub-link 206 is rotatably coupled to the first sub-link 204 at the passive joint 202 to allow for a fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ (as shown in FIGS. 16A to 16C) of the second sub-link 206 about a fourth axis ‘A4’ perpendicular to the first axis ‘A1’ and the second axis ‘A2’. This fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ is in addition to the three rotational movements ‘R1’ (as depicted in FIGS. 13A and 13B), ‘R2’ (as depicted in FIGS. 14A to 14D) and ‘R3’ (as depicted in FIGS. 15A to 15D), and described in the preceding paragraphs. Such a configuration allows that, in operation, the fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ causes an abduction movement of the arm 12 of the human 10. Thus, the introduction of the passive joint 202 helps to add an extra degree of freedom (movement) for the wearable assistive robot 200, as compared to the wearable assistive robot 100 as described earlier.
[0072] Referring to FIGS. 17A and 17B, illustrated are detailed views of the passive joint 202, in accordance with the said alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 17A, the passive joint 202 includes a casing 210 in which various components thereof are disposed. In an example, the casing 210 is a metal casing without any limitations. Further, the passive joint 202 includes a bearing holder 212 coupled to the casing 210. In the present design, the bearing holder 212 is separated from the casing 210 by means of metal spacers (not shown in FIG. 17A). Herein, the casing 210 is attached to the bearing holder 212 with the help of socket heads (not shown) passing in radial direction. Such assembly of the bearing holder 212 in the passive joint 202 may be contemplated by a person skilled in the art. FIG. 17B provides a section view of the passive joint 202 along a section axis BB’ of FIG. 17A. As shown, the passive joint 202 includes radial bearings 214 (two visible in FIG. 17B) which may allow to provide the fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ thereby. Also, as shown, the passive joint 202 includes a metal spacer 216 to separate the two radial bearings 214. Further, the passive joint 202 includes a retaining ring 218 which may resist the radial bearings 214 to dislodge and/or come out of the casing 210 while the fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ is being provided by the passive joint 202 in the wearable assistive robot 200.
[0073] This way the present wearable assistive robot 200 is able to provide four degrees of freedom for movement of the arm 12 (including the forearm 20) for the human 10. It may be appreciated that the implemented additional joint 202 in the wearable assistive robot 200 being the passive joint may require the human 10 to provide the motive force for achieving the said abduction movement of the arm 12 thereof. That said, it may be understood that although in the present examples, the additional joint 202 has been described in terms of the passive joint; in other examples, the implemented additional joint may be in the form of an actuator, similar to one of the actuators 132, 140 and 146 as described, to mechanically assist the human 10 to achieve the abduction movement of the arm 12 thereof.
[0074] In one or more alternative and/or additional embodiments of the present disclosure, the wearable assistive robot 100 and/or the wearable assistive robot 200 may further regulate the actuators 132, 140 and 146 to control the respective rotational movements ‘R1’, ‘R2’ and ‘R3’ provided thereby, and thereby achieve the desired corresponding movement of the arm 12 for the human 10. It may be understood that the actuators 132, 140 and 146 are used to actuate each of the corresponding joints based on the torque/position feedback while the corresponding one of the links 136, 142 and 148 is in motion. Now in order to regulate the actuators 132, 140 and 146 to provide desired movement(s) for the human 10, the exact configuration of the wearable assistive robot 100 and/or the wearable assistive robot 200 is required to be known at each of the instance to determine the exact velocity commands to each of the three actuators 132, 140 and 146. In the present embodiments, the wearable assistive robot 100 and/or the wearable assistive robot 200 may further include a sensing arrangement operationally coupled to one or more of the actuators 132, 140 and 146 and/or the passive joint 202 to measure one or more of the rotational movements ‘R1’, ‘R2’ and ‘R3’ thereof. Using such measurement, one or more of the three actuators 132, 140 and 146 may be controlled to achieve the desired movement of arm 12 for the human 10 by the wearable assistive robot 100 and/or the wearable assistive robot 200.
[0075] Referring to FIG. 18, illustrated is the passive joint 202 (of FIGS. 17A and 17B) with an encoder 300 coupled therewith. In an embodiment, for example, for the wearable assistive robot 200, the wearable assistive robot 200 includes the encoder 300 operationally coupled to the passive joint 202 to measure the fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ provided thereby. As shown, the encoder 300 includes a magnetic ring 302 which may be arranged inside the passive joint 202 in relation to the radial bearings 214 therein. The magnetic ring 302 may thereby provide a reading for rotation of the radial bearings 214 in the passive joint 202 (as may be contemplated by a person skilled in the art), and thus provide a measurement for the fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ provided by the passive joint 202. The encoder 300 may also include a circuitry (represented by reference numeral 304), which may be in the form of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), arranged inside the passive joint 202, and configured to generate signals corresponding to the measurement of the fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ to be implemented further for regulating the actuators 132, 140 and 146 to provide desired movement(s) for the human 10 using the present wearable assistive robot 200, as discussed hereinafter.
[0076] Herein, the encoder 300 at the passive joint 202 is used to provide measurement of the relative configuration of the links 136, 142 and 148 of the wearable assistive robot 200 vis-a-vis each other. Although, one or more of the links 136, 142 and 148 may not be actuated, but the relative configuration of the links 136, 142 and 148 may be used to compute the estimated torque at each of the links 136, 142 and 148 and the exact kinematic architecture of the wearable assistive robot 200. It may be appreciated that the links 136, 142 and 148 would ultimately be actuated by the human 10 but the determined relative motion thereof may be used to determine the exact configuration of the wearable assistive robot 200 and hence the kinematics and the dynamics. As discussed, such determined exact configuration of the wearable assistive robot 200 is required to be known at each of the instances to determine the exact velocity commands to each of the actuators 132, 140 and 146.
[0077] It may be understood that for implementing the generated signals corresponding to the measurement of the fourth rotational movement ‘R4’ for regulating the actuators 132, 140 and 146 to provide desired movement(s) for the human 10 using the present wearable assistive robot 100, 200, some control system may be required which may provide control signals for the actuators 132, 140 and 146 to actuate each of the joints of the wearable assistive robot 100, 200 based on the measurement(s) (i.e., torque/position feedback) while the links 136, 142 and 148 are in motion. The present disclosure provides a control arrangement for the said purpose. In the present embodiments, such control arrangement may be implemented in the form of a controller which may be mounted in the compartment 128 of the battery pack 120 (as mentioned earlier). Herein, FIG. 19 illustrates a block diagram of a controller (represented by reference numeral 400) capable of implementing embodiments according to the present disclosure. The controller 400 is implemented for issuing commands for managing and controlling operations of the wearable assistive robot 100, 200. In particular, the controller 400 is configured to regulate, in operation, at least one of the first actuator 132 to control the first rotational movement ‘R1’ provided thereby, the second actuator 140 to control the second rotational movement ‘R2’ provided thereby, and the third actuator 146 to control the third rotational movement ‘R3’ provided thereby based, at least in part, on the measured fourth rotational movement ‘R4’, as discussed later in more detail.
[0078] As used herein, the term “controller” generically includes the known types of analog and digital logic control implementations that can be used to implement a control circuit for the wearable assistive robot 100, 200, and may refer to circuit implementations utilizing such circuits for transforming an electrical signal in accordance with a mathematical operation or algorithm. A person skilled in the art of control system art may recognize that the controller 400 may be implemented with analog or digital circuits and combinations of them. The mathematical operations of the controller 400 may be implemented with any of a variety of commercially available microprocessors, microcontrollers, or other computing circuits. As known in the current state of the art, analog circuit and mathematical operations may be economically performed by software programmed digital circuits having software algorithms that simulate analog circuit operations and perform mathematical operations. Many of these operations can be performed by discrete logic, programmable logic array (PLA), programmable gate array (PGA) or digital signal processor (DSP) implementations, as well as by microprocessors or microcontrollers, as known in the art.
[0079] In one or more embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the controller 400 includes a processing unit 405 for running software applications and optionally an operating system. A memory 410 stores applications and data for use by the processing unit 405. A storage 415 provides non-volatile storage for applications and data and may include fixed disk drives, removable disk drives, flash memory devices, and CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or other optical storage devices. An optional user input device 420 includes devices that communicate user inputs from one or more users to the controller 400 and may include keyboards, mice, joysticks, touch screens, etc. A communication or network interface 425 is provided which allows the controller 400 to communicate with other computer systems via an electronic communications network, including wired and/or wireless communication and including an Intranet or the Internet. In one embodiment, the controller 400 receives instructions and user inputs from a remote computer through a communication interface 425. The communication interface 425 can comprise a transmitter and receiver for communicating with remote devices. An optional display device 450 may be provided which can be any device capable of displaying visual information in response to a signal from the controller 400. The components of the controller 400, including the processing unit 405, the memory 410, the data storage 415, the user input devices 420, the communication interface 425, and the display device 450, may be coupled via one or more data buses 460.
[0080] As illustrated in FIG. 19, a graphics system 430 may be coupled with the data bus 460 and the components of the controller 400. The graphics system 430 may include a physical graphics processing unit (GPU) 435 and graphics memory. The GPU 435 generates pixel data for output images from rendering commands. The physical GPU 435 can be configured as multiple virtual GPUs that may be used in parallel (concurrently) by a number of applications or processes executing in parallel. For example, mass scaling processes for rigid bodies or a variety of constraint solving processes may be run in parallel on the multiple virtual GPUs. Graphics memory may include a display memory 440 (e.g., a framebuffer) used for storing pixel data for each pixel of an output image. In another embodiment, the display memory 440 and/or additional memory 445 may be part of the memory 410 and may be shared with the processing unit 405. Alternatively, the display memory 440 and/or additional memory 445 can be one or more separate memories provided for the exclusive use of the graphics system 430. In another embodiment, graphics system 430 includes one or more additional physical GPUs 455, similar to the GPU 435. Each additional GPU 455 may be adapted to operate in parallel with the GPU 435. Each additional GPU 455 generates pixel data for output images from rendering commands. Each additional physical GPU 455 can be configured as multiple virtual GPUs that may be used in parallel (concurrently) by a number of applications or processes executing in parallel, e.g., processes that solve constraints. Each additional GPU 455 can operate in conjunction with the GPU 435, for example, to simultaneously generate pixel data for different portions of an output image, or to simultaneously generate pixel data for different output images. Each additional GPU 455 can be located on the same circuit board as the GPU 435, sharing a connection with the GPU 435 to the data bus 460, or each additional GPU 455 can be located on another circuit board separately coupled with the data bus 460. Each additional GPU 455 can also be integrated into the same module or chip package as the GPU 435. Each additional GPU 455 can have additional memory, similar to the display memory 440 and additional memory 445, or can share the memories 440 and 445 with the GPU 435. It is to be understood that the circuits and/or functionality of GPU as described herein could also be implemented in other types of processors, such as general-purpose or other special-purpose coprocessors, or within a CPU.
[0081] In general, the software as utilized (executed) by the controller 400 for implementation of the present disclosure may be a general purpose medical robotics software suite which enables articulated robotic arms to be involved in human robot interaction without posing risk or threat to the human users. The software suite comprises of general purpose submodules including trajectory planning, kinematics and dynamics calculation, state machines with continuous polling, Machine Learning based adaptations, filters, and lower-level controllers with safety modules along with a module of controllers to dynamically modify the pre-planned trajectory of the robot while the robot is under implementation. The general purpose software just requires the structure of the robot, the masses of the links and the communication protocol to communicate with the actuators. The software suite also allows for different hardware to software protocols like TTL, Ethercat, CANopen, Ethernet and others. Hereinafter, any reference to the “robot” may be construed to be a reference to the wearable assistive robot 100, 200; and any reference to the “user” may be construed to be a reference to a human, such as the human 10, wearing the wearable assistive robot 100, 200.
[0082] In the present general purpose implementation, the robot developer can describe the kinematic and dynamic architecture of the robot, select the planner and the control architecture to the actuator and thence, control the robot. The user can dynamically select a goal position. Based on the goal position, a customized trajectory or a combination of trajectories is generated by the planner leveraging the kinematics and dynamics module. The kinematics module is general purpose and can adhere to all serial chain arms and six degrees of freedom parallel robots. Different filters and adaptation tools are then provided to filter or fuse the feedback data in order to produce a desired response. The software comprises of numerous control architectures to choose from where the user selects how the robot interacts with the environment. This includes generalized force controllers, hybrid controllers, reinforcement learning tools and Human Robot Interaction modules. Herein, the general human robot interaction module allows the human to interact dynamically with the robot. By the use of dynamic feedback while the robot is running, changes can be made to the robot’s planned trajectory as per the user’s desire for any articulated arm, also accommodating the unknown human mass which interacts with the robot to push/pull it along a specific direction. This accommodation of the user’s desire in itself is also variable, changing dynamically on the basis of amount of assistance that should be provided to the user. Further, a general purpose safety module deals with any unprecedented movements that can potentially cause any harm to the user.
[0083] It may be appreciated that different articulated arms interacting with the humans or operating standalone focus on a very basic premise. They have a fixed base and a set of rotary actuators coordinating to ensure a desired motion is implemented at the output. It is obvious that all the actuators need to coordinate in a predefined trajectory. Also, all the robots, be it an exoskeleton, a cobot, a quadruped or an haptic device; which need to interact with the human, or an external environment need to have basic modules which are built to independent of the structure of the robot itself for the said general purpose software. For each of the cases, a set of trajectory planners and control algorithms are built independent of the structure of the robot. The trajectory planner plans the trajectory from an initial to a goal pose; and the control algorithm provides velocity commands to the actuators based on the desired trajectory. The said general purpose software suite of the present disclosure provides a generalized Human-Robot trajectory planner and control architecture for all types of said robots.
[0084] Considering an example, a generalized robot, say an articulated arm with 5 actuators is moving from a point A to a point B and simultaneously interacting with the human might need a modification of the trajectory on the fly to accommodate the human behaviour. For example, consider a case where the generalized robot discussed above is modified to an exoskeleton which a human wears and is performing rehabilitation activity with the arm of the human. In such a case, the trajectory needs to be modified dynamically. The software suite is based on a basic premise of either using a motor level position control, velocity control or a torque / current control. The modification of the human behaviour to the robot is then modified using a general-purpose Human Robot Interaction Controller. The controller allows a path to be followed based on an underlying position planner, which is the planned path based on the user given goal position, and additionally allows for modification of this path upon interaction with the user, where the modification is in accordance with the haptic feedback from the user. This interaction allows for the robot to be stopped or completely change its intended trajectory based on the desire of the user. Thus, the user’s intent can be completely accommodated by integration of the controller with the safety and trajectory module in a complete software suite, which can work for all robots. In case of absence of any haptic feedback, the robot would continue its initial intended path. This is useful in the medical industry, where the patients who are partially/completely paralyzed need to perform physiotherapy exercises to regain normal motion of paralyzed limbs and need assistance in the same. The users in this case, being completely paralyzed could need to rehabilitate by means of set exercises which can be provided by the underlying position-based path planner, where the controller ensures that the user can stop the robot whenever he/she feels discomfort. At the same time, for partially paralyzed patients, motion assistance is needed, and the controller provides the user with the flexibility to modify the path planned and also decides dynamically how much percentage of user’s intent is to be accommodated into the modification of the trajectory.
[0085] The presently proposed software suite provides a set of general purpose independent modules that interact with each other but do not require intervention of the details of the robot itself to be algorithmically deterministic and the structure of the robot can be dynamically modified. In the present embodiments, the software suite comprises of the following modules:
1. Trajectory Planner Module: In order to plan the actuation of the joints of the robot, the motion for each of the joints is planned from one point to another. The user usually provides the initial and goal pose and based on the type of trajectory desired by the user (quintic, or customized), the present trajectory planner generates a set of intermediate joint positions for each joint, using kinematics and dynamics. Herein, encoder feedbacks from any number of joints can be taken as an input to plan the trajectory and subsequently implied in the form of velocity commands to the actuators.
2. Communication Protocol Module: The software suite allows different communication protocols like the Ethercat, Ethernet, CanOpen protocol, Serial communication, etc. to write the velocity command to the motor and read the sensory data.
3. Kinematics and Dynamics Module: Two set of modules are developed; one is the set of serial chains where kinematics and dynamics for any robot in a serial chain can be described in an .xml format (or similar/compatible format) and the desired kinematic and dynamic solutions are based on characterizing the robot in an extendable chain format. For a set of parallel robots, a generic kinematics and dynamics solver for a six degree of freedom robot may be implemented.
4. Safety Module: A generalized safety module is developed which acts as a bridge between the velocity / position commands by the control architectures and the commands that are then being sent to the robot. An important characteristic feature of the software is where the robot needs to interact with the human. This requires a check on the velocity commands sent to the robot, a check on the forces being applied, kinematic singularity checks, some user defined warnings, check on the data being read from the robot; which can be modified based on the use case.
5. Control Module: Numerous general purpose control algorithms are developed which allow the robots to perform basic tasks like pick and place, interact with the environment using force and hybrid controllers. The controllers require encoder and/or torque sensors to provide a valid output response. The force controllers are used to control the force at the end effector to the robot, while taking input position and torque inputs from the joints. Sensor fusion modes are also available, where dual encoder inputs can be used to fuse and out a viable torque at the joint. Similarly, generalised hybrid controllers are developed which can be used to select the direction of force vis-a-vis the motion controllers.
6. Human Robot Interaction Module: The Human Robot Interaction module is configured to accommodate user’s haptic feedback to an underlying planned path to generate a modified trajectory for any general robot, by means of the software suite. The Human Robot Interaction module provides the algorithm which assigns a suitable weightage to the output of both the planner and the feedback based on the amount of assistance to be provided to the human. Herein, the amount of assistance is variable based on the amount of rehabilitation required by the user.
7. Sensor Fusion Module: A general purpose sensor fusion module is also developed to fuse torque/encoder data and provide a reasonable output which can be fed into the controllers. Both deterministic and learning based sensor fusion modules are implemented to provide the desired signal form to the Human Robot Interaction module.
8. Adaptation Module : When the human is interacting with the robot, the controller should learn the human parameters while simultaneously accommodating the human behaviour, which is achieved using the adaption module as disclosed herein.
[0086] Referring now to FIGS. 20A to 20C, in combination, illustrated are schematic diagrams depicting implementation of the said general purpose software suite to quickly develop any articulated arm integrated with correct sensors to a haptic device or a machine capable of performing human robot interaction. In general, as depicted in reference to FIG. 20A, the trajectory planning module generates a path based on the user input in view of the initial and end pose as well as constants for customized path, and the kinematics and dynamics which calculate intermediate joint positions. In addition to this, based on the haptic feedback by the user (as measured by sensors and/or encoders in actuators), the output trajectory is modified to accommodate the user’s intent, the extent of which is variably determined and provides requisite amount of assistance to the user, as depicted in reference to FIG. 20B. Further, this modification of the planned path of any robot, is brought about with integration of a safety module, as part of the software suite, which offers the feature of safe human-robot interaction, where the user can not only stop the robot but also, modify its trajectory on the fly, as depicted in reference to FIG. 20C. These details may be contemplated by a person skilled in the art of software development for robots and thus not explained further for brevity of the present disclosure.
[0087] In the present wearable assistive robot 100, 200, the weights of at least the first actuator 132 and the second actuator 140 are substantially distributed over an upper portion of the torso 14 of the human 10 when the backplate 102 is supported over the torso 14 thereof (or in other words, when the wearable assistive robot 100, 200 is worn thereby). Further, the weight or load distribution is proper across the body of the human 10, with the load of the battery pack 120 being accommodated at lower region of the torso 14 thereof, and that of the links 136, 142 and 148 as well as the actuators 132, 140 and 146 being accommodated at upper region of the torso 14 thereof. It may be appreciated that the load distribution is important to consider as the wearable assistive robot 100, 200 is to be designed to be used for paralysis patients who are having comparatively weaker body structure than a normal human being. Further, in the present wearable assistive robot 100, 200, the tensioning members 106, 110 and 116 are designed in such a way that the wearable assistive robot 100, 200 is properly clamped with the body of the human 10 to maintain good human-robot interaction. Also, the battery pack 120 is designed in such a way that the battery therein is easily removable to be recharged. Further, the cushion layer 118 ensures proper cushioning is maintained to avoid the space available between the battery pack 120 and spine of the human 10. The above listed design features makes the present wearable assistive robot 100, 200 mobile and easy to wear for longer durations for the human 10, thus providing good kinematics for the human 10 to help in achieving normal day-to-day activities including picking and placing the objects, drinking, eating etc. with ease.
[0088] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
, Claims:CLAIMS

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable assistive robot for a human, comprising:
a backplate adapted to be supported over a torso of the human;
a first actuator mounted on the backplate, the first actuator configured to provide a first rotational movement about a first axis parallel to a spine of the human when the backplate is supported over the torso thereof;
a first link having a first end and a second end, the first link rotatably coupled to the first actuator at the first end thereof to be rotated by the first rotational movement provided thereby;
a second actuator provided at the second end of the first link, the second actuator configured to provide a second rotational movement about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;
a second link having a first end and a second end, the second link rotatably coupled to the second actuator at the first end thereof to be rotated by the second rotational movement provided thereby;
a third actuator provided at the second end of the second link, the third actuator configured to provide a third rotational movement about a third axis perpendicular to the first axis and parallel to the second axis; and
a third link having a first end and a second end, the third link rotatably coupled to the third actuator at the first end thereof to be rotated by the third rotational movement provided thereby,
wherein the third link is adapted to support a forearm of the human in operation, proximal to the second end thereof, when the backplate is supported over the torso thereof, such that in operation:
the first rotational movement causes an adduction movement of the arm of the human,
the second rotational movement causes a flexion movement of the arm of the human, and
the third rotational movement causes a flexion movement of the forearm of the human.

2. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a passive joint disposed between the first end and the second end of the first link, dividing the first link into a first sub-link comprising the said first end and a second sub-link comprising the said second end, with the second sub-link rotatably coupled to the first sub-link at the passive joint to allow for a fourth rotational movement of the second sub-link about a fourth axis perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis, and such that, in operation, the fourth rotational movement causes an abduction movement of the arm of the human.

3. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 2 further comprises an encoder operationally coupled to the passive joint to measure the fourth rotational movement provided thereby.

4. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 3 further comprises a controller configured to regulate, in operation, at least one of the first actuator to control the first rotational movement provided thereby, the second actuator to control the second rotational movement provided thereby, and the third actuator to control the third rotational movement provided thereby based, at least in part, on the measured fourth rotational movement.

5. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a battery pack removably mounted onto the backplate, the battery pack configured to power one or more of the first actuator, the second actuator and the third actuator.

6. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first link, the second link and the third link are substantially hollow members to allow for routing of wires from the battery pack to one or more of the first actuator, the second actuator and the third actuator from inside thereof.

7. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 5, wherein the battery pack is mounted onto the backplate such that a weight thereof is substantially distributed over a lower portion of the torso of the human when the wearable assistive robot is worn thereby.

8. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein weights of at least the first actuator and the second actuator are substantially distributed over an upper portion of the torso of the human when the backplate is supported over the torso thereof.

9. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 1 further comprises one or more straps adapted to go over at least one of shoulders of the human and be attached to the backplate from both ends thereof, to support the backplate over the torso of the human.

10. The wearable assistive robot as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a waist belt adapted to encircle a waist of the human and be clamped by a buckle thereat, to support the backplate over the torso of the human.