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Powered exoskeleton

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U.S. Army conceptual mock-up of an exoskeleton-equipped soldier.

A powered exoskeleton is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of a skeleton-like framework worn by a person, and a power supply which supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.

Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist and protect the wearer. They may be designed for example to assist and protect soldiers and construction workers, or to aid the survival of people in other dangerous environments. A wide medical market exists in the future for providing mobility assistance for aged and infirm people. Other possibilities include rescue work, such as in collapsed buildings, in which the device might allow a rescue worker to lift heavy debris, while simultaneously protecting him from falling rubble.

Working examples have been constructed but are not currently widely deployed. Various problems remain to be solved, including suitable power-supply.

Research

The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and other organizations have researched exoskeletons for combat for decades, but progress has been limited and the actual utility of such systems in combat is still debated (with no systems known to have reached more than prototype status). In 1986 the LIFESUIT was invented by a US Army Ranger who had broken his back in a parachute accident, and while recovering in the hospital, he read Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers and from Heinlein's description he designed the LIFESUIT. Letters were written to the military about his plans for the LIFESUIT. TheyShallWalk.org has been developing Exoskeletons since then. In 2001 LIFESUIT One (LSI) was built. In 2003 LS6 was able to record and playback human gait. In 2005 LS12 was worn in a foot race known as the Saint Patricks' Day Dash in Seattle Washington. Monty Reed and LIFESUIT XII set the Land Speed Distance Record for walking in robot suits. LS12 completed the 3-mile race in 90 minutes.

In the early 2000s a number of companies and research centres developed the first practical models of human exoskeletons. One of the main uses is enabling a soldier to carry heavy weights (80–300 kg) while running or climbing stairs. Not only can a soldier carry more weight, he can wield heavier armor and weapons. Most models use a hydraulic system controlled by an on-board computer. They can be powered by an internal combustion engine, batteries or, potentially, fuel cells. Another area of application is medical care, nursing in particular. Faced with the impending shortage of medical professionals and the increasing number of people in elderly care, several teams of Japanese engineers have developed exoskeletons designed to help nurses lift and carry patients.

In January 2007, Newsweek magazine reported that the Pentagon had granted development funds to University of Texas nanotechnologist Ray Baughman to develop military-grade artificial myomer fibers. These electrically-contractive fibers are intended to increase the strength-to-weight ratio of movement systems in military powered armor. [1]

Exoskeletons can also be applied in the area of rehabilitation of stroke or SCI patients. An exo-skeleton could reduce the number of therapists needed by allowing even the most impaired patient to be trained by one therapist, whereas now several are needed. Also training would be more uniform, easier to analyze retrospectively and can be specifically customized for each patient. At this time there are several projects designing training aids for rehabilitations centres (LOPES exoskeleton, LOKOMAT and the gait trainer,Hal 5.)

Exoskeletons can also be regarded as Wearable robots: A wearable robot is a mechatronic system that is designed around the shape and function of the human body, with segments and joints corresponding to those of the person it is externally coupled with. Teleoperation and power amplification were the first applications, but after recent technological advances the range of application fields has widened. Increasing recognition from the scientific community means that this technology is now employed in telemanipulation, man-amplification, neuromotor control research and rehabilitation, and to assist with impaired human motor control (Wearable Robots: Biomechatronic Exoskeletons[1]).

Future speculation

The current LIFESUIT prototype 14 can walk one mile on a full charge and lift 205 pounds for the wearer. Medical trials will begin in 2008 and should be completed by 2010. NASA has funded some of the work being done by www.theyshallwalk.org. As the technology becomes cheaper, and the problem of a reliable, portable power-source is solved, many expect exoskeletons to become widely used in the future by the military, granting soldiers higher mobility and speed, the ability to travel longer distances, hazard protection, load-bearing abilities and the capacity to field larger and/or more numerous weapons/equipment and ammunition. Police would derive similar benefits; and civilian applications could include using the suits in space travel and heavy labour. It is possible that exoskeletons may also find use in construction lifting in place of some cranes and fork-lifts but as it stands it's unlikely to be economical or practical compared to pre-existing, larger and relatively cheaply produced equipment. They may also benefit people who have been disabled by crippling diseases like ALS and multiple sclerosis, or simply general aging effects.[2]

However exoskeletons may have to compete for adoption with implants and prosthetics enhancing the human body itself. At the same time, any advances in these fields may also help exoskeletal research, in that direct links to the nervous system may become possible. This would help integrating the mechanical control systems with the body, thus creating more fluid movement and control.

SARCOS Military Humanoid Exoskeleton (Youtube)

In fiction

Main article: Powered exoskeletons in fiction

Powered armor has appeared in a wide variety of fiction, beginning with E. E. Smith's Lensman series in 1937. Since then, it has featured in science fiction movies and literature, comic books, video games, and tabletop role-playing games. One of the most famous early versions was Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel Starship Troopers, which can be seen as spawning the entire sub-genre concept of military "powered armor."

See also

  • Video, images and articles about the Bleex exoskeleton project
  • Berkeley Bleex press release
  • Soldier Bionic Exoskeleton
  • University of Washington Exo Arm Project
  • Wired Magazine Issue 13.01 | Jan 2005 - Tetsujin, the world's first exoskeleton weight-lifting competition
  • Mecha in AK
  • SpringWalker Walking Aid
  • Japanese nurse assisting skeleton
  • Yamamoto, Keijirou. "Wearable Power Assist Suit". Retrieved 2006-10-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • The Rise of the Body Bots, IEEE Spectrum
  • U.S. Patent (expired) for powered exoskeleton
  • CNN video report on a powered exoskeleton made by Sarcos
  • Video and abstract about the GAIT Robotic Orthosis (via IEEE Xplore)

References

  1. ^ Pons, J.L. "Wearable Robots: Biomechatronic Exoskeletons". Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  2. ^ Passive Exoskeletons For Assisting Limb Movement - Rahman, Tariq & others - Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Volume 43, Number 5, August/September 2006, Pages 583–590
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