Exoskeletons for Lower Limb Applications: A Review

Exoskeletons are assistive devices that play a significant role in the lives of people who have partially or completely lost the functions of their limbs. These robotic devices can be used in rehabilitation, assistance locomotion or augmentation, and significant developments were observed in the last few years in this field. This chapter presents a detailed state of the art of exoskeletons for lower limb applications. A classification was provided and a large number of different types of exoskeletons presented. Finally, this chapter presents and discusses major research challenges and opportunities.