Driving Robotic Exoskeletons Using Cable-Based Transmissions: A Qualitative Analysis and Overview

Wearable robotics is a field receiving increasing attention from the scientific community. It has great potential to improve rehabilitation process or increase the human capabilities but faces a number of challenges. On the one side, powerful actuation is required, leading to considerable system weight. On the other side, due to the close physical interaction with a human and taking into consideration safety requirements, the displacement of the actuators is crucial to the operational efficiency and functionality of exoskeleton devices. One possible solution for the design of an operational and efficient wearable device is to relocate its actuators out of joints and transmit the force by means of cable-based transmission systems. This paper presents an overview of various cable-based configurations correlated to conventional mechanical designs and their implementation in exoskeleton's structures and an overview of exoskeleton robots including comparison and trend analyses.