A Lightweight Compact Cable-Driven Hip Exoskeleton With High Torque Capacity
Jianquan Ding, Liping Wang, Jianyu Chen, Weihao Yin, Zhibo Jing, Jianda Han, Juanjuan Zhang
Abstract
Lower limb exoskeletons have shown great promise for enhancing mobility. Existing systems are limited by either excessive weight or insufficient torque output. In this study, we present a cable-driven hip extension exoskeleton featuring lightweight, compact, and compliant end-effectors with high-torque capacity. The system can provide up to 90 Nm (static) / 65 Nm (dynamic) assistance torque while the end-effector weighs only 1.46 kg. With a model-based feedforward controller combined with iterative learning, the system achieves a closed-loop bandwidth of 11.3 Hz and a torque tracking error with an average root-mean-square error of 3.3% of the peak torque. Preliminary experiments with unoptimized, experience-driven assistance demonstrated an average 44.4% reduction in gluteus maximus muscle activation across three walking speeds. The system is well suited for controlled indoor experiments and can be translated to portable on-board implementations, supporting diverse research and application scenarios.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{ral2026_alightweightcomp,
title = {A Lightweight Compact Cable-Driven Hip Exoskeleton With High Torque Capacity},
author = {Jianquan Ding and Liping Wang and Jianyu Chen and Weihao Yin and Zhibo Jing and Jianda Han and Juanjuan Zhang},
booktitle = {RA-L 2026},
year = {2026}
}