High Torque Density Motor Solutions for Exoskeleton Joint Integration

The World Health Organization reports that about 16% of world population experiences at least one form of disability. Assistive exoskeletons are devices used in different and wide applications. Given the complexity of a wearable mechanism that must work in delicate tasks, much research is focusing on understanding how to improve their design and control. As commercial devices are assembled, not many works focus on motor design aspects, where comfort and assistance are key features to optimize. This paper focuses on the design of surface-mounted permanent magnet motors precisely aimed at exoskeleton joint actuators. Starting from an existing exoskeleton design concept, objective of this work is improving torque density, reducing motor mass, and enhancing actuator integration.