An important characteristic of people with partially impaired walking ability, such as incomplete paraplegics, is that they are able to generate voluntary motion of lower-limbs. Therefore, wearable robots for the incomplete paraplegic patients require a different assistance method compared to those of complete paraplegics. First, the wearable robot should be controlled to not resist wearer’s motion. Second, it should be able to generate assistive torque accurately when needed. In this paper, a wearable robot, called EROWA, for the incomplete paraplegic patients is introduced. EROWA utilizes compact rotary series elastic actuators (cRSEAs) and a control method called the zero impedance control to reduce the mechanical resistance. An assistive torque trajectory is proposed to assist gait in this paper. The proposed method is verified by simulation and experimental studies.

Wearable robots are receiving great attention from the public, as well as researchers, because its motivation is to improve the quality of lives of people. Above all, complete paraplegic patients due to spinal cord injury (SCI) might be the most adequate target users of the wearable robots, because they definitely need physical assistance due to the complete loss of muscular strength and sensory functions. Furthermore, the medical care of complete paraplegics by using the wearable robots have significantly reduced the mortality rate and improved the life expectancy. The requirements of the wearable robot for complete paraplegics are actuation torque, locomotion speed, wearing sensation, robust gait stability, safety, and practicality (i.e., size, volume, weight, and energy efficiency). A WalkON Suit is the wearable robot that has satisfied the requirements of the wearable robot for complete paraplegics and participated in the powered exoskeleton race of Cybathlon 2016. In this paper, configuration of the WalkON Suit, human-machine interface, gait pattern, control algorithm, and evaluation results are introduced.

We are at the dawn of a new era in which the importance of robots will be evaluated on the basis of not only their functions but also their appearance. Therefore, those manufacturers who continue to develop robots that only offer convenience and do not keep up with the emerging trends might be weeded out from the robot market in the future. This study empirically tested and verified the ways in which the commercial value of wearable robots is enhanced when they are stylishly attired, using user and work environment analysis. For the purpose of this study, a styling development project for wearable robots was undertaken and applied to the actual development of these robots. Based on the results of the study, a new styling process for such robots was established. Those manufacturers who will realize the importance of styling of robots and develop robots using this process shall become the trendsetters in designing stylized robots and lead the robot industry in the future.