A Cost-Oriented and User-Friendly Performance Assessment Procedure for Passive Upper Limb Exoskeletons

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This study introduces a novel, cost-effective, and user-friendly methodology for evaluating the performance of upper limb exoskeletons. The proposed experimental procedure is demonstrated through the assessment of a passive exoskeleton developed and assembled at the University of Calabria. The evaluation method focuses on analyzing the stability of key anatomical landmarks on the user, tracked using color-coded markers during the execution of a predefined task. The measurement system employs two low-cost, commercially available cameras, each capable of detecting three distinct markers attached to the user’s limbs. This setup enables accurate tracking of joint motion without the need for expensive motion capture systems. The principal innovation of this work lies in democratizing exoskeleton performance evaluation through a dual-camera, marker-based system that offers comparable assessment capabilities to high-end solutions at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, the modular design enables adaptation to different exoskeleton configurations and anatomical regions, supporting systematic evaluations across diverse applications while facilitating wider adoption of assistive technologies.