Lightweight Powered Exoskeleton With Parallel Actuation For Frontal And Sagittal Plane Assistance

A powered exoskeleton device for assisting a user's gait in both the user's anatomical sagittal plane and frontal plane, the exoskeleton device comprising:

• a crank frame coupled to a pelvis wrap securable to a user's pelvis;
• a thigh frame coupled to a thigh cuff securable to the user's thigh;
• a riser, rigidly coupled to or formed integrally with the thigh frame and extending from the thigh frame toward the crank frame;
• a connecting bar revolutely coupled to the crank frame at a sagittal plane joint and revolutely coupled to the riser at a frontal plane joint;
• and
• a pair of linear actuators, each independently and rotatably coupled between the crank frame and the thigh frame via passive, two degree-of-freedom (“DOF”) joints;
• the crank frame and the thigh frame being restrained relative to one another such that actuation of either of the linear actuators creates torque in both the sagittal and the frontal plane;
• each of the pair of linear actuators positioned laterally to the user and aligned with the user's thigh when the exoskeleton is attached to the user;
• an added lateral profile of the exoskeleton device being no greater than 8 cm from the user's body, and an added posterior profile of the exoskeleton device being no greater than 3 cm from the user's body.