Researchers have found that the walking economy can be enhanced by recycling ankle metabolic energy using an unpowered ankle exoskeleton. However, how to regulate multiarticular energy to enhance the overall energy efficiency of humans during walking remains a challenging problem, as multiarticular passive assistance is more likely to interfere with the human body’s natural biomechanics. Here we show that the metabolic energy of the hip and knee musculature can be regulated to a more energy-effective direction using a multiarticular unpowered exoskeleton that recycles negative mechanical energy of the knee joint in the late swing phase and transfers the stored energy to assist the hip extensors in performing positive mechanical work in the stance phase. The biarticular spring-clutch mechanism of the exoskeleton performs a complementary energy recycling and energy transfer function for hip and knee musculature. Through the phased regulation of the hip and knee metabolic energy, the target muscle activities decreased during the whole assistive period of the exoskeleton, which was the direct reason for 8.6 ± 1.5% (mean ± s.e.m) reduction in metabolic rate compared with that of walking without the exoskeleton. The proposed unpowered exoskeleton enhanced the user’s multiarticular energy efficiency, which equals improving musculoskeletal structure by adding a complementary loop for efficient energy recycling and energy transfer.

中文翻译：

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使用多关节无动力外骨骼调节人类行走过程中关节之间的代谢能

研究人员发现，通过使用无动力的踝关节外骨骼回收踝关节代谢能量，可以提高步行经济性。然而，如何调节多关节能量以提高步行过程中人类的整体能量效率仍然是一个具有挑战性的问题，因为多关节被动协助更有可能干扰人体的自然生物力学。在这里，我们表明，使用多关节无动力外骨骼可以将髋关节和膝盖肌肉的代谢能调节至更节能的方向，该外骨骼在挥杆后期回收循环的膝关节负机械能，并转移存储的能量以辅助髋部伸肌在站立阶段进行积极的机械锻炼。外骨骼的双关节弹簧离合机构为髋部和膝部肌肉组织执行补充的能量回收和能量转移功能。通过分阶段调节髋部和膝盖的代谢能，目标肌肉活动在整个骨骼的辅助期间都会减少，这是与步行相比，代谢率降低8.6±1.5％（平均±sem）的直接原因。没有外骨骼。拟议中的无动力外骨骼提高了用户的多关节能量效率，这相当于通过添加互补环来进行有效的能量回收和能量传输来改善肌肉骨骼结构。在整个外骨骼辅助期间，目标肌肉活动减少，这是与不使用外骨骼走路相比，新陈代谢速率降低8.6±1.5％（平均±sem）的直接原因。拟议中的无动力外骨骼提高了用户的多关节能量效率，这相当于通过添加互补环来进行有效的能量回收和能量传输来改善肌肉骨骼结构。在整个外骨骼辅助期间，目标肌肉活动减少，这是与不使用外骨骼走路相比，新陈代谢速率降低8.6±1.5％（平均±sem）的直接原因。拟议中的无动力外骨骼提高了用户的多关节能量效率，这相当于通过添加互补环来进行有效的能量回收和能量传输来改善肌肉骨骼结构。