Lower Limb Exoskeletons for Gait Rehabilitation

This chapter aims at providing an overall overview to the field of lower limb exoskeleton systems for gait rehabilitation to a non-expert audience. The chapter starts with an introduction to the different types and existing classifications of exoskeleton systems that exist nowadays. Afterwards, we provide a more detailed overview of the state of the art of lower limb exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation by presenting the different types and uses and some of the most popular developed systems, with a focus on those that are commercially available. Further, we provide a simplified introduction to the control of exoskeleton systems. This includes a taxonomy and the most common types of controllers that are currently implemented in lower limb exoskeletons. Finally, we present a summary of the current clinical evidence of the use of robotic exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation and discuss the current achievements, challenges, and future directions of the field.