Effects of a soft wearable robotic suit on metabolic cost and gait characteristics in healthy young subjects

This paper experimentally evaluates the effects of a soft wearable robotic suit, which is developed for energy-efficient walking in daily activities, in healthy subjects. The robotic suit provides a small but effective assistance for hip flexion. Moreover, it is lightweight and it does not restrict the motion range of the lower limbs. Experimental results on two healthy subjects show that the robotic suit worn and powered on (PON) reduced oxygen uptake by an average of 3.6 % compared with the condition of worn but powered off (POFF). Moreover, compared with the POFF condition, walk ratio was improved by an average of 2.6 % in the PON condition.