Design and Manufacturing of a Walk Assist Device

This paper presents a low cost walk assist device(WAD) for individuals having lower limb disability. Motivated by the cost effectiveness of the assistive device, this research mainly focuses on the 3D printing of the device using PETG material, which is chosen for its strength and it is light weight. The WAD is actuated by servo motor installed at the hip and knee joints. The servo motors are controlled through ESP32 micro-controller. Three different modes were incorporated by programming ESP32 micro-controllers were the standing, walking and the sitting. The device is made adjustable to accommodate wide range of users having different heights and weights. The design process involved CAD designing, actuators selection, materials selection and static analysis to ensure design safety and durability. After 3D printing the components, WAD was assembled. Simulations and the real-time tests to validate the device's tracking performance in the joint space. The overall cost of the device is less than 360 USDs which is very cost effective as compared to the commercially available Robotic WADs.