Design and Analysis of Joint-Assisted Exoskeleton Control System of Upper Limb in Active Spacesuit

Abstract

Based on joint-assisted exoskeleton technology, a concept of active spacesuit for future extraterrestrial exploration activities is presented. Firstly, we design the mechanical structure of joint-assisted exoskeleton of upper limb, and perform kinematic analysis on the upper limb to obtain the joint motion information when lifting load. We obtain the resistance torque of the spacesuit joint by the measuring equipment, and the total torque of the upper limb by the simplified two-links dynamic model. Then, we present the combination of adaptive impedance control and sliding mode control that based on CTC method. Finally, the prototype of joint-assisted exoskeleton robot of upper limb is fabricated and tested, and the experimental results indict that the control system can improve the trajectory tracking effect and eliminate the influences of environmental change. The research can not only help the astronauts more easily complete the task of collecting samples of the future manned space missions, but also provide a theoretical foundation for the subsequent research of active spacesuit.