An exoskeleton interface apparatus includes five rigid links (2-6) arranged in series, capable of rotating reciprocally at the respective ends for monitoring angular movements of the arm, of the forearm and the wrist of an user (60) and having at the tip an handgrip (30) for engaging with the user (60) by reflecting a force feedback. The rigid links (2-6) can rotate at their ends about rotational joints (11-14) having rotational axes (31-34) incident in the intersection point of the physiological axes of the shoulder. The rotational joints (11-14) are brought into rotation about the respective rotational axes (31-34) by means of respective motors (21-24), for example servo-motor such as torque motors. All the motors (21-24) are mounted on the fixed base link (2) in order to minimize the mass of the parts in movement and the inertia reflected on the user (60). A plurality of idle pulleys (50) is provided, spatially arranged for orienting the tendons (41-44), which brake the free movement of the relative rotational joint, responsive to signals corresponding to constraints on the slave in case of teleoperation or to constraints created by virtual reality systems.

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A system and method are presented to provide assist to a user by means of an exoskeleton with a controller capable of making the exoskeleton display active impedance. The exoskeleton assists the user by reducing the muscle effort required by the user to move his or her extremities. In one embodiment, a single-degree-of-freedom (1-DOF) exoskeleton assists a user with single-joint movement using an active impedance controller. In another embodiment, a multiple-degree-of-freedom (multi-DOF) exoskeleton assists a user with multiple-joint movement using an active impedance controller.

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A motion assistance device has a biological signal detection means for detecting a biological signal from the wearer of the device; a motion assistance device installation member having a drive source for applying torque acting to the wearer by use of each joint of the wearer as a rotating shaft; a control means for controlling the drive source to generate torque corresponding to the biological signal detected by the biological signal detection mean; a drive torque estimation means for estimating the drive torque generated by the drive source; a joint angle detection means for detecting angular displacement of a joint; and a parameter identification means for substituting the drive torque estimated by the drive torque estimation means and the angular displacement detected by the joint angle detection means into an equation of motion to specify the wearer-specific dynamics parameter, the equation relating to the entire system and including wearer-specific dynamics parameter. The control means controls the drive source according to a predetermined control method, based on the equation of motion into which the dynamics parameter identified by the parameter identification means is substituted.

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A method for obtaining an assist torque to be applied to a human joint, in a human assist system in order to reduce the load on muscles, according to the present invention comprises the step of obtaining a moment due to gravity, acting on a joint of each human segment, based on equations of force and moment balance on each segment. The method further comprises the step of obtaining an assist torque to be applied to the joint to compensate for the moment due to gravity, acting on the joint. In one embodiment of the present invention, various criteria are used such as mechanical energy, metabolic energy and/or a stability/equilibrium factor. In addition, the present invention can account for the situation where there is substantially no relative motion between segments of a given joint and thus, where the mechanical energy component of gravity compensation is approximately zero.

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The present invention relates to transducers, their use and fabrication. The transducers convert between mechanical and electrical energy. Some transducers of the present invention include a pre-strained polymer. The pre-strain improves the conversion between electrical and mechanical energy. The present invention also relates to devices including an electroactive polymer to convert between electrical and mechanical energy. The present invention further relates to compliant electrodes that conform to the shape of a polymer included in a transducer. The present invention provides methods for fabricating electromechanical devices including one or more electroactive polymers.

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