A Rapid Control Prototyping and Hardware-in-the Loop Approach for Upper Limb Robotic Exoskeletons Control

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper proposes a model-based design approach implemented on a real-time system that uses Rapid Control Prototyping. This allows for developing the entire control architecture in a single programming environment, making it more shareable and understandable. The authors tested this approach on an upper-limb exoskeleton with different control strategies and evaluated its performance.

The research presented has the following strengths:

·         Clear writing and sound design: The paper is well-written and presents a well-designed research approach that has been effectively applied.

·         Open access: Publishing the source code on Github is commendable, as it promotes transparency and allows others to replicate the study and build upon the findings.

  Suggestions for improvement:

·         More details about experiments: The paper would benefit from more details about the experiments, such as the number of participants involved, the specific tasks they performed, and the metrics used to evaluate the user experience.

·         User acceptance: Addressing user acceptance, like participant feedback or satisfaction with the exoskeleton during the experiments, would strengthen the study's overall picture.

·         Limitations and future work: Discussing the limitations of the current research and outlining plans for future work would demonstrate a critical understanding of the research landscape and provide valuable insights for further development.

The phrase from line 240-241 is not very clear.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The article presents a comprehensive study on a rapid control prototyping (RCP) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) methodology for controlling upper limb robotic exoskeletons. The authors propose a model-based design approach implemented on a real-time target machine, focusing on sharing and understanding control logic across various platforms. They detail the development and testing of control strategies using a unified programming environment, aiming to streamline the control architecture development for rehabilitative robotics. The methodology emphasizes early testing, code reusability, and flexibility in hardware integration, showcasing its application through a 6-DoF upper limb exoskeleton prototype. The study includes hardware setup, control design methodology across different levels (low, middle, high), results from HIL testing for gravity compensation, and compliant modular assistance. The discussion reflects on the effectiveness and limitations of the proposed approach, highlighting its potential in simplifying the prototyping process and encouraging a more accessible development of rehabilitation devices.

Suggestions:

1. Clarification on Methodology: The article could benefit from a more detailed explanation of the selection criteria for the control strategies tested, including why certain strategies were prioritized over others.
2. Comparative Analysis: Including a comparison with traditional development methods could highlight the advantages and potential limitations of the RCP-HIL approach more clearly. This comparison could also discuss the trade-offs involved in adopting this methodology.
3. Expanded Validation: The results section focuses on gravity compensation and modular assistance. Expanding this section to include validation of the control strategies in real-world rehabilitation settings with patients could strengthen the article's impact.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf