J Shanghai Jiaotong Univ Sci

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2026 , Vol. 31 >Issue 3: 771 - 782

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12204-026-2921-1

Celebrating 30 Years

Soft Lower-Limb Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation Training in Older Stroke Patients

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  • 1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240; 2. Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025; 3. School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240; 4. Center for Frontier Medical Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan

Received date: 2026-01-04

  Revised date: 2026-02-04

  Accepted date: 2026-03-04

  Online published: 2026-05-08

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Abstract

With the accelerating pace of population aging, the number of older stroke patients continues to rise. Lower-limb motor impairments severely compromise gait stability and quality of life. Conventional rigid exoskeletons are often bulky and provide insufficient comfort and compliance, making it difficult to meet the safety and lightweight requirements of older users. To address these limitations, this study establishes mechanical models of Bowden-cable friction and elasticity, and on this basis proposes a dual-loop assistance strategy that integrates admittance control with PID control to achieve compliant compensation of gait deviations at the knee and ankle joints. Wearable experiments involving two older post-stroke participants demonstrate that the proposed system significantly improves knee flexion and markedly reduces the peak inversion angle in the participant with severe foot inversion, while also decreasing joint angle fluctuations and enhancing postural stability. These findings support the feasibility and application potential of the proposed exoskeleton-assisted strategy for gait rehabilitation in older stroke populations.

Cite this article

Bai Jiaxin, Chen Hengyue, Wang Jixian, Yang Guoyuan, Yu Wenwei, Xie Le . Soft Lower-Limb Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation Training in Older Stroke Patients[J]. Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University(Science), 2026 , 31(3) : 771 -782 . DOI: 10.1007/s12204-026-2921-1

References

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