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A portable wearable robotic device that can actively supplement locomotion of partially limited ambulators in their normal environment (variable terrain, weather, man made structures, etc.) seems highly desirable but currently short of attainment due to several key technology gaps. Low energy and power density in current actuation technology, inadequate control schemes and safety of use are leading challenges towards a portable, complementary device. This paper presents the dynamically controlled ankle-foot orthosis (DCO) with regenerative kinetics which seek to incrementally attain portability by solving the energy/power density issue in powered elements by harnessing elastic energy of uniquely tuned mechanical elements and reducing the control problem and increasing safety by introducing compliant elements between the human-machine-environment interfaces.
Hitt et al. (Sun,) studied this question.