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<p>Knee exoskeletons exhibit substantial variability in mechanical configurations and actuation pathways, leading to distinct biomechanical impacts on wearers. However, systematic cross-configuration comparisons under consistent modeling conditions remain limited. Using a unified predictive musculoskeletal framework, this study evaluates the human biomechanical responses to 3 representative knee exoskeleton configurations (<i>anterior cable-driven</i>, <i>lateral parallel-actuated</i>, <i>posterior linkage-driven</i>) during level-ground and uphill walking. Configuration-specific human–exoskeleton interaction forces were analytically modeled and applied to an identical musculoskeletal model under a standardized knee extension assistance profile. Across both terrains, all configurations reduced the knee extension moment impulse relative to unassisted walking, with the lateral configuration consistently achieving the largest reduction, reaching 33.6% (level ground) and 60.8% (uphill) compared to unassisted conditions. Quadriceps muscular effort exhibited pronounced terrain dependence, with the posterior configuration most effective on level ground and the lateral configuration during uphill walking. The posterior configuration consistently yielded the greatest reductions in peak knee contact force, with decreases of 6.3% (level-ground) and 16.5% (uphill) compared to unassisted conditions. All configurations reduced the cost of transport on both terrains, with the rankings across configurations closely following those of quadriceps muscular effort. These findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of knee exoskeleton assistance is governed not only by the assistance strategy, but also by the coherent interaction between force application geometry, joint posture, and task demands. The proposed predictive simulation framework provides a mechanical tool for identifying configuration-specific strengths and limitations to inform knee exoskeleton design prior to experimental deployment.</p>

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Biomechanical evaluation of human walking assisted by different knee exoskeleton configurations: a predictive simulation

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月18日

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  • Wei Jin,
  • Ming Xu,
  • Xiaolin Dai,
  • Shunyi Zhao,
  • Zilu Wang,
  • Zhihao Zhou,
  • Qining Wang

摘要

Knee exoskeletons exhibit substantial variability in mechanical configurations and actuation pathways, leading to distinct biomechanical impacts on wearers. However, systematic cross-configuration comparisons under consistent modeling conditions remain limited. Using a unified predictive musculoskeletal framework, this study evaluates the human biomechanical responses to 3 representative knee exoskeleton configurations (anterior cable-driven, lateral parallel-actuated, posterior linkage-driven) during level-ground and uphill walking. Configuration-specific human–exoskeleton interaction forces were analytically modeled and applied to an identical musculoskeletal model under a standardized knee extension assistance profile. Across both terrains, all configurations reduced the knee extension moment impulse relative to unassisted walking, with the lateral configuration consistently achieving the largest reduction, reaching 33.6% (level ground) and 60.8% (uphill) compared to unassisted conditions. Quadriceps muscular effort exhibited pronounced terrain dependence, with the posterior configuration most effective on level ground and the lateral configuration during uphill walking. The posterior configuration consistently yielded the greatest reductions in peak knee contact force, with decreases of 6.3% (level-ground) and 16.5% (uphill) compared to unassisted conditions. All configurations reduced the cost of transport on both terrains, with the rankings across configurations closely following those of quadriceps muscular effort. These findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of knee exoskeleton assistance is governed not only by the assistance strategy, but also by the coherent interaction between force application geometry, joint posture, and task demands. The proposed predictive simulation framework provides a mechanical tool for identifying configuration-specific strengths and limitations to inform knee exoskeleton design prior to experimental deployment.