Impact Factor (2025): 6.9
DOI Prefix: 10.47001/IRJIET
Background:
Robotic ankle exoskeletons typically provide continuous torque assistance, yet
impulse-based mechanical stimulation may enhance proprioceptive feedback and
push-off training. Vibro-impact actuation offers a compact mechanism capable of
generating controlled force pulses, but its nonlinear dynamics and sensitivity
to interface conditions remain insufficiently understood for clinical
deployment. A single-degree-of-freedom model of a vibro-impact actuator
integrated into an ankle rehabilitation device was developed using Lagrange’s
formulation under ideal excitation. Coulomb, viscous, and Coulomb–Stribeck
friction laws were implemented to represent different orthotic interfaces.
Numerical simulations evaluated amplitude–frequency responses, time histories,
phase portraits, and basins of attraction across gait-relevant frequencies.
Three dynamic regimes—non-impact, impact, and multistability—were identified.
Friction characteristics significantly shifted regime boundaries, while stable
impact operation produced repeatable impulses within therapeutic ranges.
Multistable regions indicated sensitivity to initial conditions, highlighting
the need for controlled startup. Vibro-impact actuation is a promising strategy
for robotic ankle rehabilitation, providing tunable impulsive assistance with
clear implications for actuator design, interface selection, and control
robustness.
Country : Bosnia and Herzegovina
IRJIET, Volume 10, Issue 3, March 2026 pp. 124-129