Development of an Ankle Power-Assist System for Pedal Operation

Abstract

A driver operates the accelerator pedal by perceiving reaction force in driving a car. In pedal design, it is necessary to design a reaction force characteristic that can improve the pedal operation feeling. In order to investigate the reaction force characteristic, an ankle power-assist system which is able to assist the pedal operation based on EMG signals was developed. The effectiveness of the proposed power-assist system was evaluated under three kinds of driving postures.