Assistive ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are powerful solutions to assist or rehabilitate gait on humans. Existing assistive AFO technologies include passive, quasi-passive, and active principles to provide assistance to the users, and their mechanical configuration and control depend on the eventual support they aim for within the gait pattern. In this research we analyze the state-of-the-art of assistive AFOs and classify the different approaches into clusters, describing their basis and working principles. Additionally, we reviewed the purpose and experimental validation of the devices, providing the reader with a better view of the technology readiness level. Finally, the reviewed designs, limitations, and future steps in the field are summarized and discussed.

翻译：辅助踝足矫形器是帮助或康复人类步态的有效解决方案。现有的辅助踝足矫形器技术包括被动式、准被动式和主动式原理，旨在为用户提供辅助支持，其机械构型和控制策略取决于它们在步态模式中预期的最终支撑目标。在本研究中，我们分析了辅助踝足矫形器的最新研究进展，并将不同方法进行聚类分类，阐述其基础原理和工作机制。此外，我们回顾了这些设备的应用目的和实验验证情况，帮助读者更清晰地了解技术成熟度水平。最后，对相关设计、局限性以及该领域的未来发展方向进行了总结与讨论。