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EXiO-A Brain-Controlled Lower Limb Exoskeleton for Rhesus Macaques.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Vouga, T; Zhuang, KZ; Olivier, J; Lebedev, MA; Nicolelis, MAL; Bouri, M; Bleuler, H
Published in: IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng
February 2017

Recent advances in the field of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have demonstrated enormous potential to shape the future of rehabilitation and prosthetic devices. Here, a lower-limb exoskeleton controlled by the intracortical activity of an awake behaving rhesus macaque is presented as a proof-of-concept for a locomotorBMI. A detailed description of the mechanical device, including its innovative features and first experimental results, is provided. During operation, BMI-decoded position and velocity are directly mapped onto the bipedal exoskeleton's motions, which then move the monkey's legs as the monkey remains physicallypassive. To meet the unique requirements of such an application, the exoskeleton's features include: high output torque with backdrivable actuation, size adjustability, and safe user-robot interface. In addition, a novel rope transmission is introduced and implemented. To test the performance of the exoskeleton, a mechanical assessment was conducted, which yielded quantifiable results for transparency, efficiency, stiffness, and tracking performance. Usage under both brain control and automated actuation demonstrates the device's capability to fulfill the demanding needs of this application. These results lay the groundwork for further advancement in BMI-controlled devices for primates including humans.

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Published In

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng

DOI

EISSN

1558-0210

Publication Date

February 2017

Volume

25

Issue

2

Start / End Page

131 / 141

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Task Performance and Analysis
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Robotics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Gait
  • Female
  • Exoskeleton Device
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Equipment Design
 

Citation

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Vouga, T., Zhuang, K. Z., Olivier, J., Lebedev, M. A., Nicolelis, M. A. L., Bouri, M., & Bleuler, H. (2017). EXiO-A Brain-Controlled Lower Limb Exoskeleton for Rhesus Macaques. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng, 25(2), 131–141. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2017.2659654
Vouga, Tristan, Katie Z. Zhuang, Jeremy Olivier, Mikhail A. Lebedev, Miguel A. L. Nicolelis, Mohamed Bouri, and Hannes Bleuler. “EXiO-A Brain-Controlled Lower Limb Exoskeleton for Rhesus Macaques.IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 25, no. 2 (February 2017): 131–41. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2017.2659654.
Vouga T, Zhuang KZ, Olivier J, Lebedev MA, Nicolelis MAL, Bouri M, et al. EXiO-A Brain-Controlled Lower Limb Exoskeleton for Rhesus Macaques. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2017 Feb;25(2):131–41.
Vouga, Tristan, et al. “EXiO-A Brain-Controlled Lower Limb Exoskeleton for Rhesus Macaques.IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng, vol. 25, no. 2, Feb. 2017, pp. 131–41. Pubmed, doi:10.1109/TNSRE.2017.2659654.
Vouga T, Zhuang KZ, Olivier J, Lebedev MA, Nicolelis MAL, Bouri M, Bleuler H. EXiO-A Brain-Controlled Lower Limb Exoskeleton for Rhesus Macaques. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2017 Feb;25(2):131–141.

Published In

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng

DOI

EISSN

1558-0210

Publication Date

February 2017

Volume

25

Issue

2

Start / End Page

131 / 141

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Task Performance and Analysis
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Robotics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Gait
  • Female
  • Exoskeleton Device
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Equipment Design