Week 1: Project Kickoff and Requirements
Goals for This Week
- Define project scope and requirements
- Assign team roles and responsibilities
- Set up development environment and repository
- Create initial project timeline
What We Accomplished
Requirements Gathering
We identified the following key requirements for our wearable robotic system:
- Functional Requirements
- Provide assistive torque during [specific motion]
- Battery life: minimum 4 hours of continuous operation
- Weight: under 2 kg for user comfort
-
Real-time control loop at 1 kHz
-
Safety Requirements
- Emergency stop functionality
- Torque limiting to prevent injury
- Fault detection and safe shutdown
System Architecture Discussion
We discussed three potential architectures:
| Approach | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Centralized MCU | Simple, low cost | Single point of failure |
| Distributed nodes | Modular, scalable | More complex communication |
| Hybrid | Balanced | Medium complexity |
Decision: We're leaning toward the hybrid approach with a main controller (STM32 or ESP32) and distributed motor drivers.
Next Steps
- [ ] Finalize motor selection (BLDC vs PMSM)
- [ ] Create CAD model of exoskeleton frame
- [ ] Set up control simulation in MATLAB/Simulink
- [ ] Order initial components for prototyping
Technical Notes
Motor Control Considerations
For the actuation system, we're evaluating: - BLDC motors: Good torque density, requires FOC - PMSM: Similar to BLDC but with sinusoidal back-EMF - Brushed DC: Simpler control, lower efficiency
Given our control expertise and performance requirements, BLDC with field-oriented control (FOC) seems like the best fit.
Control Loop Design
Planning to implement: - Outer loop: Position/impedance control - Inner loop: Current control (FOC) - Sampling rate: 1 kHz minimum
Blockers/Questions
- Need to confirm budget allocation for motors
- Waiting on access to motion capture lab for gait analysis
Posted: September 21, 2026