Design and Analysis of a Knee Exoskeleton with Self-alignment Capability

The knee exoskeleton can assist patients for knee rehabilitation exercises. In this paper, a novel knee exoskeleton with self-alignment capability is proposed. First, the structure of the knee exoskeleton is designed, which has one active and four passive joints. The four passive joints are used to realize the self-alignment function of the knee exoskeleton. Second, the kinematic model is established and analysed. Third, simulations are conducted to validate the rotation ranges of human knee and hip joints. The simulation results demonstrate that the knee exoskeleton can meet the rehabilitation needs of the patients.