About Me

I am a mechanical engineer, roboticist, researcher, and innovator with a passion for robots and exoskeletons. Using new technologies and principles, I make robots and exoskeletons that you can see in some of my work and writings below. My goal is to make exoskeletons that are easy to wear and use for everyone. To achieve this, I try new things with different materials and sensors to make them simpler and stronger. I also work on making robots that can move like humans do, by using motors and springs. This is hard to do, but it has many benefits.

Research Overview

Sensorized Leg Replica

This research introduces a new way to evaluate how exoskeletons physically interact with human legs using a mechatronic replica of a human leg. The leg replica can sense the forces between the exoskeleton and was used to evaluate two wearable devices: an active full leg exoskeleton and a passive knee orthosis. The results showed that the leg replica can measure the effects of joint misalignments on force transmission and can be used as a reliable method for consistent studies of human-exoskeleton interaction. Using such a leg, early design evaluation of exoskeletons can be faster, more repeatable and without human participants.

The results of this research are published in:
   

Upper Limb Exoskeleton with Bowden Cable Actuation

This project focuses on the design and development of an exoskeleton to assist the upper limbs. The exoskeleton features two motors placed on the user's back to drive Bowden cables and provide torque to the user's joints, compensating for the weight of the user's arm or tool. The motor and battery are located in the back for a lightweight frame with minimal inertia and faster movement. The exoskeleton is manufactured using traditional and additive methods. Our research addresses challenges such as friction and efficiency loss due to Bowden cables and explores alternative sensing techniques through redundant sensor architectures.

The results of this research are published in:
   

Pronation and Supination Mechanism for Exoskeleton

This research project focuses on the development of a novel pronation and supination mechanism as an add-on module for the UpperLimb exoskeleton. Pronation and supination of the lower arm are essential for everyday tasks such as opening doors and eating. Our proposed mechanism assists these movements using two rods guided in circular grooves and driven by a cable, providing a lightweight alternative to mechanisms that rely on large bearings. This mechanism can assist individuals with difficulty in pronation and supination to perform otherwise mundane tasks with ease.

The results of this research are published in:
   

Elbow Exoskeleton with Energy-Efficient Variable Stiffness Mechanism

The Elbow Exoskeleton features a unique Variable Stiffness Actuator (VSA) mechanism for fast and energy-efficient stiffness variation to meet the demands of different tasks, introducing a new principle for energy-efficient stiffness variation. The VSA uses two motors: a larger one to rotate the external link and adjust its equilibrium position, and a smaller, more energy-efficient one to control the stiffness. An exoskeleton frame was designed to test the new VSA as an elbow actuator.

The results of this research are published in:
   
   
   

Efficient Walking with Quasi-Passive Ankle Exoskeleton

The Quasi-Passive Ankle Exoskeleton supports walking without heavy motors or batteries by mimicking the calf muscle and Achilles tendon. It adds a mechanical clutch at the ankle joint to store elastic energy and reduce metabolic expenditure by up to 10%. This is notable as many exoskeletons require large motors and batteries for such positive assistance effects.

The results of this research were published in:
   
   

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Funding

Awarded Fundings

  • 2019-2020 DAAD funding for short research stay in Germany, funded by “Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst”
  • 2015-2019 Young researcher programme by Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS), core funding No. PR-06812

Other Funding Sources

  • 2021-.... JuBot: Staying young with robots - versatile robot assistance for coping with everyday life, Carl Zeiss Stiftung, Germany
  • 2020 Exosafe (A mechatronic leg replica to benchmark safety of human exoskeleton interaction), project by the COVR European Project under grant agreement No. 779966
  • 2020 Automation, Robotics, and Biocybernetics program group founded by Slovenian Research Agency (P2-0076)
  • 2019-2020 GOSTOP (Building blocks, tools and systems for factories of the future), Slovenian Research Agency