• black-box
• cable-driven
• control
• exoskeleton
• hand
• identification
• pole-placement
• robotics
• wearable

In this work, a state-of-the-art exoskeleton has been used as an initial framework to implement low-level control strategies and a proof of concept for a middle-level control strategy, to evaluate the applicability and safety of the control architecture for further implementation in clinical scenarios. The low-level control has been synthesized starting from a system identification phase, where first an ideal transfer function has been derived by mathematical modelling. Through a black box input-output based estimation, the real values of the plant’s coefficients have been defined, taking into account the non-linearities of the system. The controller synthesis has been addressed, using a pole-placement strategy to better cope with the dynamical requirements and with the configuration of poles and zeros detected. The obtained controller has been tested against a gold standard fine-tuned PID controller. The characterization of the performances has been addressed and a middle-level control strategy able to implement three different types of exercises based on the low-level torque control has been designed. Finally, the results obtained and a brief discussion has been provided, demonstrating the safety and feasibility of the control strategy during exercises and establishing a good setup for further investigation with clinical patients in future pilot studies.