EVRYON

Project objectives

The EVRYON project aims to develop a new methodology for the design of wearable robots, such as exoskeletons, orthoses and prostheses, with several potential applications including neuro-motor rehabilitation and personal assistance. The ideal design solutions for such systems should aim for the optimal compromise between performance and critical requirements such as minimizing weight and ingshade, the reduction of energy consumption and all other factors that can significantly compromise effectiveness. As part of the project, an open-ended design process was conceived and finalized according to which the morphology and control scheme of the robot to be developed can co-evolve, or be co-optimized, in a simulation environment in which they are also model the dynamic/biomechanical properties of the human body. This approach appears to be the natural application to wearable robotics of studies in the field of biomechanics and bipedal robotics, which have demonstrated the importance of the intrinsic dynamic characteristics of the structure (living or artificial) in the control of locomotion.

The basic idea of ​​the EVRYON project is that, as for walking robots, the performance of wearable robots can also be improved by exploiting the potential of structural embodied intelligence, i.e. the intrinsic dynamic properties of the mechanical structure. The design methodology developed within the project resulted in a set of advanced mechatronic design support tools that were validated through the development of a new active orthotic prototype for the lower limbs capable of providing assistance to the hip and knee for flexion and extension movements. The developed robot integrates the optimal solutions, from the point of view of kinematics, dynamics and control algorithms, obtained during the co-evolutionary design process. Contrary to what generally happens, the device is characterized by a non-anthropomorphic kinematic structure, i.e. one that does not replicate the characteristics of the human musculoskeletal system. This allows for high robustness against possible misalignment errors between the rotation axes of human and robotic joints, improving ergonomics and minimizing machine assembly times. The solution adopted also makes it possible to minimize unwanted interaction forces and maximize comfort for the user.

The prototype, integrated on a motorized carpet, includes compliant actuators capable of guaranteeing intrinsic safety and accurately regulating the forces imparted to the subject during physical assistance. Additional modules for the assistance of ankle flexion/extension and hip intra/extra rotation and adduction/abduction movements were developed to be integrated into an autonomous version of the robot to be used in an unstructured environment. The prototype, installed at the Center for the Health of the Elderly (CESA) was tested experimentally on young healthy subjects and on elderly subjects with physiological impairment of motor functions, so as to quantify its acceptability and ability to give back to the elderly a physiological walking, increasing personal autonomy.

Official website: www.evryon.eu

Start and end date

2009 - 2012

Project Manager

Prof. Eugenio Guglielmelli

Coordinating institution of the project

Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma

Other Institutions involved

• Delft University of Technology

• University of Twente

• Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne

• Sant'Anna High School

• Budapest University of Technology and Economics

• University of Ljubljana

Funding source(s).

European Commission, VII Framework Programme, FET program (Future and Emerging Technologies), proactive initiative “Embodied Intelligence”. Project identifier FP7-ICT-2007.8.5 #231451.