Study and mechatronic design of a powered lower limb exoskeleton

Lower limb exoskeletons are today an excellent rehabilitation device in patients who, due to an injury (e.g., stroke or spinal cord) or due to age, have reduced gait mobility. It cannot be ruled out that in the near future, in addition to rehabilitation, they may be used in everyday life to return to regular walking. Up to now, there are various models on market that can be used for the latter purpose, or for the research and rehabilitation, however they are generally expensive and therefore, not very accessible. This thesis aims to develop an active lower limb exoskeleton, taking inspiration from an existing low-cost and open-source exoskeleton called ALICE. After analyzing the characteristics of such an exoskeleton, we will then move on to the selection of components to improve its performance, always with the aim of keeping costs low and maintaining its constructive simplicity. To do this, solutions will be considered that are attentive to widely used fields of application, different from the one under consideration, adapting them to their own needs. The low-level control of the individual joint is being implemented using the designated components. Afterwards, the performance of these products will be validated to assess their suitability for use in the exoskeleton under development. To do so, the knee gait profile of a healthy subject will be replicated with such a prototype robotic joint, with an experimental setup created for the purpose. The performance will then be discussed, leaving room for possible future development of the project.