AlmatyExoElbow: development and biomechanical analysis of a 2-DOF cable-driven elbow exoskeleton

This paper presents the design and preliminary structural assessment of a cable-driven elbow exoskeleton, AlmatyExoElbow, intended for upper-limb rehabilitation. The proposed system employs a modular architecture to improve biomechanical compatibility while reducing distal segment mass. The exoskeleton provides two degrees of freedom, including flexion-extension and forearm pronation-supination. A cable-driven mechanism enables remote actuator placement and reduces parasitic loading associated with mechanical-anatomical axis misalignment. A 3D CAD model was developed and evaluated using finite element analysis in SolidWorks Simulation. Stress, displacement, and strain distributions were analyzed to identify critical structural regions and guide future design optimization. The results provide an initial assessment of the proposed concept and support further development of rehabilitation-oriented elbow exoskeleton systems.