Author(s)

Sungjun Yeem¹, Jinyeong Heo¹, Hongchul Kim², Yongjin Kwon^1*

¹Department of Industrial Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
²The 5th R&D Institute, Agency for Defense Development, Daejeon, South Korea.

Recently, the need for exoskeleton robots has been increased due to the advancement of robotic technologies and changes in the concept of how the robots can be utilized in direct contact with human bodies. The robots, once only used on the factory floor, are now becoming a part of human bodies, which provides the unprecedented level of muscle power boost and the increase of running speed. If used very carefully, the exoskeleton robots can be also used for patients’ rehabilitation. The exoskeleton robots have many potential application areas; hence most advanced countries are currently developing various types of exoskeleton robots. Those robots can be classified into two major categories, namely the rigid type and the soft type. Each type has own advantages and disadvantages, while the carrying load capacity and the actuation speed can be quite different. There are also many technical difficulties in order to use the exoskeleton robots in the field. The aim of this study is, therefore, to introduce the trends of exoskeleton robot development in advanced countries, while providing the analysis on the technical merits and downside of robot types. The comparison chart also indicates the major technical directions, in which the future technology will be headed for, such as the improved robot response characteristics by employing advanced sensors and artificial intelligence. The robots are becoming smarter, lighter, and more powerful. It is foreseeable that the wearable robots can be a part of human life in the very near future.

Exoskeleton Robot, Wearable Robot, Rigid Type Robot, Soft Type Robot, Artificial Muscle

Yeem, S. , Heo, J. , Kim, H. and Kwon, Y. (2019) Technical Analysis of Exoskeleton Robot. World Journal of Engineering and Technology, 7, 68-79. doi: 10.4236/wjet.2019.71004.