Wearable Exoskeleton Robots

Dear Colleagues,

Wearable exoskeleton robots and soft exosuits are rapidly transforming the fields of rehabilitation, assistive technologies, occupational ergonomics, and human augmentation. In recent years, advances in biomechanics, artificial intelligence, lightweight materials, soft robotics, embedded sensing, and adaptive control strategies have enabled the development of increasingly efficient and personalized wearable robotic systems. These technologies are emerging as key tools to address global challenges related to aging populations, neurological disorders, mobility impairments, workplace musculoskeletal injuries, and the growing demand for human-centered robotic assistance.

At the same time, the integration of bioinspired design principles and human-in-the-loop optimization strategies is opening new possibilities for adaptive assistance tailored to individual users and real-world environments. Current research is increasingly focused on enhancing comfort, transparency, usability, energy efficiency, and long-term user adaptation, while also exploring the role of digital twins, biomechanical simulations, machine learning, and multimodal sensing in wearable robotics. Despite significant progress, important challenges remain regarding personalization, user acceptance, clinical validation, portability, and the translation of laboratory prototypes into practical and scalable solutions.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances in wearable exoskeleton robots and exosuits, with particular emphasis on bioinspired approaches, adaptive control systems, biomechanical optimization, and human-centered design. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and interdisciplinary contributions addressing the development, control, evaluation, and application of wearable robotic systems for rehabilitation, mobility assistance, industrial ergonomics, sports performance, and human augmentation.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Lower-limb and upper-limb wearable exoskeletons;
• Soft robotic exosuits and textile-based assistive systems;
• Human-in-the-loop optimization and adaptive assistance;
• Biomechanical modeling and musculoskeletal simulation;
• Bioinspired locomotion and robotic assistance strategies;
• Rehabilitation robotics and neurorehabilitation applications;
• Wearable robotics for occupational ergonomics and injury prevention;
• AI and machine learning for exoskeleton control;
• Sensor fusion and wearable sensing technologies;
• Personalized assistance and user-adaptive control systems;
• Energy-efficient actuation and lightweight materials;
• Clinical validation and usability assessment;
• Digital twins and virtual simulation environments for exoskeletons;
• Human–robot interaction and user experience;
• Assistive technologies for aging populations and mobility impairments.

Original research articles, systematic reviews, and application-oriented studies are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Francisco Romero-Sánchez
Dr. Joaquín Ojeda
Prof. Dr. Junzhi Yu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• wearable robotics
• exoskeletons
• exosuits
• human-in-the-loop optimization
• rehabilitation robotics
• biomechanics
• bioinspired robotics
• human–robot interaction
• adaptive control
• assistive technologies