Fig. 2

(a) Wearable robot used for human subject experiments to evaluate anchoring performance. The pneumatic artificial muscle spans from the proximal thigh cuff to the distal chain-linking frame; contraction along its line of action pulls the frame in the actuator direction, converting axial tension into circumferential tightening while preserving transverse compliance. (b) Comparison of transmitted force under identical actuator input; the proposed anchoring structure delivers 34.2% more force than the conventional system. (c) Additional tasks performed for qualitative evaluation. (d) Survey results showing that the proposed structure provides higher perceived assistance while maintaining comparable comfort. In (d), scores use a 1–5 scale (1 = least comfortable/effective; 5 = most comfortable/effective).