Abstract Research into the development of the lower limb exoskeleton (LLE) has been on-going since the 1960s. Although this field has long been explored, the technological progress has been very slow. Many exoskeletons were stopped in their tracks toward commercialization at the research stage itself. Therefore, this paper is aimed at systematically reviewing the design and development of multiple joint LLEs. The discussion focuses on the application of LLEs for augmentation, muscle weakness or gait recovery and rehabilitation. Details of aspects such as the control strategy, actuator, safety and design, including compactness, noise, heavy structural weight, cost, mimicking of natural walking, and power sources, will be discussed. Finally, issues concerning the design and development of LLEs will also be presented.