{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T01:40:47Z","timestamp":1785894047304,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769990400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People\u2019s Republic of China","award":["2023YFC3604800"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023YFC3604800"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomimetics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Most pediatric exoskeletons for cerebral palsy (CP) focus on lower-limb assistance and neglect trunk control, limiting rehabilitation outcomes. This study presents a self-aligning trunk\u2013limb exoskeleton that integrates trunk stabilization with active lower-limb support. The design includes a hip\u2013waist rapid adjustment mechanism, a bioinspired gear-rolling knee joint, modular thigh\u2013shank structures, a trunk support module, and a body-weight support device. To enable transparent and coordinated assistance under pathological gait conditions, a continuous gait progress-based multi-joint control framework is developed. Joint motion is described as continuous gait progress over the full gait cycle (0\u2013100%), and joint-specific progress estimates are fused into a unified system-level reference using observability-weighted circular statistics. Inter-joint coordination is achieved through phase-consistency-based temporal modulation implemented, enabling smooth synchronization while preserving joint-level autonomy and motion continuity. Technical evaluation\u2014comprising kinematic misalignment analysis, simulation validation, and gait trials\u2014demonstrated a 66.8% reduction in hip misalignment and an 87.4% reduction in knee misalignment. Gait parameters under exoskeleton-assisted walking closely matched baseline walking, confirming natural kinematic preservation without interference. These results indicate that the proposed trunk\u2013limb exoskeleton improves human\u2013robot synergy, enhances postural stability, and provides a promising solution for pediatric gait rehabilitation in CP.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biomimetics11020101","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T12:49:44Z","timestamp":1770036584000},"page":"101","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Design and Evaluation of a Trunk\u2013Limb Robotic Exoskeleton for Gait Rehabilitation in Cerebral Palsy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Hui","family":"Li","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Intelligent Rehabilitation Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-9659-8615","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ming","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Intelligent Rehabilitation Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ziwei","family":"Kang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Intelligent Rehabilitation Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hongliu","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Intelligent Rehabilitation Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhang, Y., Groof, S.D., Peyrodie, L., and Labey, L. 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