A Systematic Study On The Exoskeleton Performance Evaluation

The powered exoskeleton is a wearable humanoid and mechanical device thatmainly used to enhance human body function. Until now, research mainly concentratedin gait recognition, perceived control, and mechanical design, the exoskeleton’scomprehensive performance evaluation study remains blank.This paper analyzed the exoskeleton performance evaluation process, establishedan overall model of assessment and finished following works. Firstly, established anassessment indicators set. By means of analyzing performance indicator space in termof both user and exoskeleton system itself, this paper analyzed indicator’s influence onthe overall performance and defined those indicators in detail and finally acquiredindicators set; Secondary, built measuring platforms for needed indicators. Fordifference kinds of indicators, use different measuring methods. For those "softindicators", use the "soft measuring method", such as using NASA-TLX method tomeasure mental workload. For "hard indicators", design hardware and software systemto measure them. Thirdly, designed comparative experiments based on correspondingmeasuring platform to obtain indicator’s value Finally, performance evaluation usingfuzzy comprehensive evaluation(FCE) method: firstly determined weight of eachelement in the indicators set; secondary obtain the FCE matrix by means of multi-levelFCE method and made a consistency test for the matrix; thirdly, choose an appropriateFCE operator to computing the weight set and FCE matrix; finally choose the maximumvalue from the computing result according to maximum membership principle, theoverall exoskeleton performance will be determined.It is very meaningful to assess the performance of exoskeleton and help to find thebest design parameters.