Configuration optimization and kinematic analysis of a wearable exoskeleton arm

In order to evaluate the kinematic performance and determine the proper design parameters, the kinematic characteristics of human upper-limb are modelled and analyzed in this paper. Based on the model, two different mechanical configurations of wearable upper-limb exoskeleton robots are proposed and the singularity orientation in the upper limb workspace is analyzed. The optimal configuration of the shoulder mechanism without limiting the spherical-joint motion is determined to avoid the singularity in the control procedure. According to the configuration, the workspaces of the upper limb and the exoskeleton robots are simulated by the Matlab software. And the results prove that the optimized configuration works well in the most frequently used workspace of human upper-limb. The optimizing method of singularity elimination is helpful for the configuration design and active control of upper limb exoskeleton system.