"Invisible" Lower Limb Exoskeleton Design Integrating Product Semantics

CHEN Tao; WANG Yujue; XU Tianyu; MENG Qiaoling; YU Hongliu

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.10.001

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (10) : 1-11. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.10.001

Special Subject: Design of Medical Equipment Systems Empowered by Digital & Intelligent Healthcare

"Invisible" Lower Limb Exoskeleton Design Integrating Product Semantics

CHEN Tao^a,b,*, WANG Yujue^a, XU Tianyu^b, MENG Qiaoling^b, YU Hongliu^b

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Abstract

To address the issues of lower limb exoskeletons in terms of "technology dominance" (that is, the appearance and structure of the product excessively emphasize mechanical functions and technical features while neglecting users' aesthetic and emotional needs), such as the overly exposed technical features reinforcing the device's "medical equipment" attributes and causing middle-aged and elderly users to experience "patient" identity anxiety, thereby reducing their willingness to use it in daily life, finally resulting in the low acceptance of middle-aged and elderly users, the work aims to design a flexible lower limb exoskeleton that can be concealed under ordinary trousers, realizing the integration of technology and emotions. A user journey map and semi-structured interviews were employed to explore the in-depth emotional needs of middle-aged and elderly users. The product semantics were introduced to establish a three-dimensional semantic-emotional analysis framework covering "medical-everyday-trendy" dimensions, so as to guide the integrated design of waist-knee-ankle streamline appearance, detachable and washable webbing, concealed battery layout and night reflective features. A set of "invisible" exoskeleton solution integrating dual modes of "walking assistance" and "gait training" was proposed. Verified via semantic differential scale and virtual experience, the solution was highly recognized by users in emotional dimensions such as "independence, confidence and dignity". This provides an industrial design pathway for the evolution of rehabilitation device from "adaptive rehabilitation" to "active intervention", demonstrating the core value of aesthetic considerations in medical device systems.

Key words

lower limb exoskeleton / industrial design / product semantics / emotional design / elder-friendly design / wearable devices

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CHEN Tao, WANG Yujue, XU Tianyu, MENG Qiaoling, YU Hongliu. "Invisible" Lower Limb Exoskeleton Design Integrating Product Semantics[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(10): 1-11 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.10.001

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