Approaches and Issues Regarding Center of Mass Behavior in an Exoskeleton Design for a Child’s Body

This research aims to identify a suitable design solution that models the behavior of a human’s center of mass. This solution can be implemented in an exoskeleton structure that is especially designed for children who require walking assistance and rehabilitation. The primary problem posed by exoskeleton designs is representing the effect of ground–foot contact on exoskeleton behavior under kinematic and dynamic conditions. To mitigate this, our main research objective was to develop a mechanical system that demonstrates the human center of mass (CoM) behavior on an exoskeleton designed for children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The research focuses on modeling human CoM behavior under kinematic circumstances and transferring this into a mechanical system conceptual design. The obtained results validate the proposed mechanical system through a comparative analysis between numerical processing, virtual prototyping, and experimental specific methods and procedures.