A novel concept for wearable, modular and soft support systems used in industrial environments

This paper presents a novel concept for wearable support systems based on the approach of the Human Hybrid Robot (HHR), which can be adapted easily to the user and the activity. The concept focuses on modularity and makes intensive use of new manufacturing technologies like 3D-printing as well as flexible kinematics and textile components, in order to fit the system to different individuals and tasks as well as to increase human safety. The main idea can be applied to various applications. In this paper we are focusing on a functional exoskeleton prototype for the upper extremities. It comprises a Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) using a glove equipped with haptic sensors to measure grip force as well as force sensors in a coupling to the user at the forearm. This functional prototype was then successfully evaluated in a blind study with 20 test subjects.