Static Modeling and Experimental Verification for Safety Evaluation of Human-robot Interaction in Exoskeleton Robots

The elasticity of human skin and the complexity of human joints can lead to misalignment between an exoskeleton robot and the human body. This misalignment increases physical human-robot interaction forces, resulting in discomfort and pain for the wearer. Consequently, considering these interaction forces is crucial for ensuring the safety of wearing an exoskeleton. In this study, we propose a novel method to statically predict physical human-robot interaction forces and evaluate the safety of using exoskeleton robots. To validate the interaction model, experiments are conducted using a sensor-equipped upper limb dummy and an exoskeleton robot. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method, allowing for the quantitative assessment of the safety of using exoskeleton robots without the need for manufacturing actual prototypes.