Soft magnetic exoskin transducing human motion

Wearable robotics is undergoing a disruptive transition, from rigid exoskeletons to lightweight soft robotic

exosuits, which have achieved remarkable results in human motor assistance and augmentation. These devices,

however, still lack intuitive control approaches imposing additional cognitive load on their users. A future

wearable robot that can help us to walk, run, jump, dance, and restore independence in people with neuromuscular

impairments, requires the key ingredient to achieve the symbiotic connection between the user and the robot. In the

classical control strategy for wearable robots, inertial measurement units (IMUs) are often exploited to detect

user’s motion intention. Although the latter are valuable wearable tools, their reliability and accuracy are often

debated, due to their drift and poor battery life (being powered), raising challenges for researchers and engineers to

improve their stability over time. The SCOUT project aims to break this technological bottleneck by developing a

novel wearable artificial sensor system based on passive magnetic markers to detect human motion.

Inspired by the natural human sensorimotor system, and exploiting recent advances in magnets localization, a soft

magnetic exoskin will be designed to transduce joints motion of the user into decipherable magnetic fields. These

will be decoded by a central interpreting unit to have a real-time, reliable, and robust measure of human kinematics

without the need of time-consuming parameter tuning and calibrations. Besides the intended benefit for current

wearable robots, this project could develop a novel human-machine interface with wide potential for a diverse

range of applications, such as human motion analysis, ergonomics, virtual reality, and robotic teleoperation.