Simulation of impedance control applied to lower limb exoskeletons: assessment of its effectiveness in assisting disabled people during gait swing phase

In this work we are interested in to assess the effectiveness of a impedance control applied to a lower limb exoskeleton that assists a individual with weakness to perform the swing movement of gait. To this, we carried out simulations using a human-exoskeleton interaction model from OpenSim, a forward dynamics-based simulation algorithm from MATLAB and experimental data from a subject walking on a treadmill. The results proved that the control is efficient and capable of providing the necessary complementary torque so that the person can complete the movement with dexterity.