During the building of the pediatric exoskeleton, some actuator evaluations were done in order to decide for the best option. The state-of-the-art Brushless DC motors by Maxon Group (Switzerland) joined with strain weave gears by Harmonic Drive LLC (United States) combinations were compared to DC Motors by SIEMENS (Germany) and AM Equipment (United States). Even though the state-of-the-art combination is undeniably better in performance, both SIEMENS and AM equipment 26Nm DC actuators were found to be appropriate exoskeleton implementations. 

AM Equipment DC actuators were finally deemed the best option for continuous system production and deployment due to technological characteristics, price and overall product availability within the Mexican market. 

Four actuators were used and covered hip and knee Degrees of Freedom; this reduced complexity and weight while maintaining minimum functionality required for standing and walking tasks.

We have been searching for different alternatives and similar motors to make sure people outside The US and especially in Europe have easier access to low-cost actuators but we haven’t been able to find other suppliers with similar options and reliability. Let us know if you find any !