EMY: a dual arm exoskeleton dedicated to the evaluation of Brain Machine Interface in clinical trials

EMY (Enhancing MobilitY) is an exoskeleton dedicated to the evaluation of Brain Machine Interface during clinical trials. This paper presents the first version of EMY restricted to upper limbs with four actuated joints per arm. Since an evaluation of a BMI controlled exoskeleton by a disabled person requires clinical trials, a risk management process should be conducted with medical standards as references. More than an exhaustive architecture description of EMY, this paper details relationships between risk management and the proposed technical solutions in order to justify design options. EMY's design is upgradable and future versions of EMY will concern the addition of lower limbs and prehension capability to ultimately obtain a full-body exoskeleton suitable for testing brain controlled locomotion and manipulation tasks.