A new generation of ergonomic exoskeletons - The high-performance X-Arm-2 for space robotics telepresence

This paper introduces the mechatronic design and a first performance analysis of a new haptic exoskeleton, the X-Arm-2. The X-Arm-2 is a fully actuated force-reflecting human arm exoskeleton that is based on our previously proposed approach to ergonomic and human-centered exoskeleton design [1] [2]. The X-Arm-2 is a highly power-dense impedance-type haptic device that (1) can interact with natural human arm movement of varying operators without requiring adjustments and creating constraint forces, (2) provides crisp force-feedback through high actuator bandwidth, low residual friction and good joint torque sensor resolution, (3) has a low total mass of only 6.2 kg and (4) low inertia through a human-oriented mixed implementation of Bowden-cable relocated and directly-integrated DC actuators.