Epically Powerful: An open-source software and mechatronics infrastructure for wearable robotic systems

TL;DR

Epically Powerful is an open-source framework that simplifies the development of wearable robotic systems by providing comprehensive hardware, software, and integration tools to accelerate research and deployment.

Contribution

It introduces a modular, open-source infrastructure that streamlines hardware integration, control, and visualization for wearable robotics and similar systems.

Findings

Enables rapid development of wearable robots with minimal hardware setup

Provides seamless Python interface for various commercial actuators and sensors

Facilitates real-time visualization and data logging for system debugging

Abstract

Epically Powerful is an open-source robotics infrastructure that streamlines the underlying framework of wearable robotic systems - managing communication protocols, clocking, actuator commands, visualization, sensor data acquisition, data logging, and more - while also providing comprehensive guides for hardware selection, system assembly, and controller implementation. Epically Powerful contains a code base enabling simplified user implementation via Python that seamlessly interfaces with various commercial state-of-the-art quasi-direct drive (QDD) actuators, single-board computers, and common sensors, provides example controllers, and enables real-time visualization. To further support device development, the package also includes a recommended parts list and compatibility guide and detailed documentation on hardware and software implementation. The goal of Epically Powerful is to lower the barrier to developing and deploying custom wearable robotic systems without a pre-specified form factor, enabling researchers to go from raw hardware to modular, robust devices quickly and effectively. Though originally designed with wearable robotics in mind, Epically Powerful is broadly applicable to other robotic domains that utilize QDD actuators, single-board computers, and sensors for closed-loop control.