We are pleased to publish our conference paper from the 72nd Spring Congress of the Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft (GfA):

"Concept and implementation approach of a hybrid architecture for a data-driven exoskeleton"

The paper presents a retrofit approach for commercial exoskeletons that replaces or bypasses proprietary control electronics with an open hybrid embedded/host architecture. Using the S700 active shoulder exoskeleton (exoIQ) as an example, the system enables real-time acquisition of internal sensor data, pneumatic control and ROS 2-based monitoring and logging.

🔍Why is this important?
Many commercial exoskeletons still operate as closed systems, which restricts access to internal signals, system states and control parameters. This makes reproducible experiments, transparent evaluation and the integration of additional measurement systems considerably more difficult.

💡 Our contribution
The presented architecture creates a modular and extensible research platform that provides access to internal angle and pressure signals and forms the basis for future context-dependent and individualised support strategies.

Authors: Amir Nemati, Chen Chen, David Scherb, Robert Weidner

The paper can be found in the conference proceedings (pages 494-500).