Development of a Biomimetic Soft Robotic Knee Joint

The knee joint is a complex joint in the human body that plays a significant role in locomotion activities in daily living. The development of robot legs and wearable devices that can perform human-like motions is limited due to the lack of a human-like knee joint. This paper presents a biomimetic soft robotic knee joint that performs human-like knee motion. It is actuated by means of bundled soft actuators that mimic the functionality of real human muscles. A vacuum-actuated linearly contractile soft actuator is bundled to create the multifilament structure that drives a bicondylar knee joint. The design, fabrication, and performance characterization of the proposed multifilament actuators are presented. A test setup was developed to experimentally evaluate the knee model for seated posture knee flexion and extension. Experimental results show that the proposed knee joint can mimic the human knee joint in seated flexion and extension. The prototype developed can be further developed to develop a successful wearable device testing platform and as the foundation for the future development of prosthetic knees. This research contributes to the advancement of wearable devices and assistive technology, aiming to improve mobility and enhance the overall quality of life for individuals with limb disabilities.