NuExo: A Wearable Exoskeleton Covering all Upper Limb ROM for Outdoor Data Collection and Teleoperation of Humanoid Robots

The evolution from motion capture and teleoperation to robot skill learning has emerged as a hotspot and critical pathway for advancing embodied intelligence. However, existing systems still face a persistent gap in simultaneously achieving four objectives: accurate tracking of full upper limb movements over extended durations (Accuracy), ergonomic adaptation to human biomechanics (Comfort), versatile data collection (e.g., force data) and compatibility with humanoid robots (Versatility), and lightweight design for outdoor daily use (Convenience). We present a wearable exoskeleton system, incorporating user-friendly immersive teleoperation and multi-modal sensing collection to bridge this gap. Due to the features of a novel shoulder mechanism with synchronized linkage and timing belt transmission, this system can adapt well to compound shoulder movements and replicate 100% coverage of natural upper limb motion ranges. Weighing 5.2 kg, NuExo supports backpack-type use and can be conveniently applied in daily outdoor scenarios. Furthermore, we develop a unified intuitive teleoperation framework and a comprehensive data collection system integrating multi-modal sensing for various humanoid robots. Experiments across distinct humanoid platforms and different users validate our exoskeleton's superiority in motion range and flexibility, while confirming its stability in data collection and teleoperation accuracy in dynamic scenarios.

Flexible Exoskeleton Control Based on Binding Alignment Strategy and Full-arm Coordination Mechanism

In rehabilitation, powered, and teleoperation exoskeletons, connecting the human body to the exoskeleton through binding attachments is a common configuration. However, the uncertainty of the tightness and the donning deviation of the binding attachments will affect the flexibility and comfort of the exoskeletons, especially during high-speed movement. To address this challenge, this paper presents a flexible exoskeleton control approach with binding alignment and full-arm coordination. Firstly, the sources of the force interaction caused by donning offsets are analyzed, based on which the interactive force data is classified into the major, assistant, coordination, and redundant component categories. Then, a binding alignment strategy (BAS) is proposed to reduce the donning disturbances by combining different force data. Furthermore, we propose a full-arm coordination mechanism (FCM) that focuses on two modes of arm movement intent, joint-oriented and target-oriented, to improve the flexible performance of the whole exoskeleton control during high-speed motion. In this method, we propose an algorithm to distinguish the two intentions to resolve the conflict issue of the force component. Finally, a series of experiments covering various aspects of exoskeleton performance (flexibility, adaptability, accuracy, speed, and fatigue) were conducted to demonstrate the benefits of our control framework in our full-arm exoskeleton.