Exoskeleton design
See seven models of exoskeletons that lead us into the future.
HAL
Cyberdyne's HAL (short for Hybrid Assistive Limb) is designed as a complete system, just to name a few. Robotic elements must fully interact and synchronize with the mind of the user.
A person moving in an exoskeleton will not need to give commands or use any control panel.
HAL adjusts to the signals transmitted by the brain to the body, and begins to move along with it on its own.
The signal is picked up by sensors located on the largest muscles.
Hal's heart, placed in a small box on his back, will use the built-in processors to decode and transmit information received from the body.
Data transfer speed is extremely important in this case. Producers assure that delays will be completely invisible.
Moreover, the system will be able to send impulses back to the brain, which leads to a not quite conscious belief that all our movements will be reflected by the mechanisms of the skeleton.
- The manufacturer has developed several variants of HAL:
for medical use - thanks to additional belts and supports, the structure will be able to independently support people with leg paresis;
- for individual use - the model is designed to support footwork, focusing primarily on improving the movements of the elderly or people undergoing rehabilitation;
- for use with one limb - compact HAL, which weighs only 1,5 kg, has no static attachments, and its purpose is to improve the functioning of the selected limb; both legs and arms;
- for unloading the lumbar region - an option designed to support the muscles located there, which in the first place will allow you to bend and lift weights. There will also be versions for special tasks.
Properly adapted kits can be used in hard work, as well as in law enforcement or emergency services, so that a member of the brigade can, for example, lift a fragment of the wall of a collapsed building.
It is worth adding that one of the most advanced versions egzoszkieletu Cyberdyne, the HAL-5 Type-B model, became the first exoskeleton to receive a global safety certification.
[JAPANESE IRON MAN] Cyberdyne HAL robot costume
Repeat walk
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first type for sale in the US last year. exoskeletons for paralyzed people.
Known as the ReWalk System, people who have lost the ability to use their legs will be able to stand and walk again.
ReWalk became famous when Claire Lomas walked her early version of the London Marathon route.
As part of the tests, a man Robert Wu was recently paralyzed from the waist down. egzoszkielet ReWalk and on crutches, he could join passers-by on the streets of Manhattan.
Architect Wu has already tested previous versions of ReWalk Personal and suggested various modifications for maximum convenience and comfort of use.
Currently with exoticReWalk is used by several dozen people around the world, but work on the final project is still ongoing.
Wu praises ReWalk Personal 6.0 not only for its functionality and convenience, but also for being up and running in less than 10 minutes. The operation itself, controlled by the wrist controller, is also very simple.
The Israeli company Argo Medical Technologies, responsible for the creation of ReWalk, received permission to sell and distribute to doctors and patients. The barrier, however, is the price - ReWalk currently costs 65k. dollars.
ReWalk – Go Again: Argo Exoskeleton Technology
FORTIS
The FORTIS exoskeleton can lift over 16kg. Currently being developed by Lockheed Martin. In 2014, the concern began testing the latest version at American factories.
The first to attend were employees of the C-130 transport aircraft factory in Marietta, Georgia.
Thanks to the connection system, FORTIS allows you to transfer weight from your hands to the ground. The employee using it is not as tired as before and does not need to take breaks as often as before.
exoskeleton it is equipped with a special counterweight located behind the back of the user, which allows you to maintain balance when carrying a load.
It follows that he does not need power and batteries, which is also important. Last year, Lockheed Martin received an order for a trial delivery of at least two units. The customer is the National Center for Industrial Sciences, acting on behalf of the US Navy.
The tests will be carried out as part of the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance program, at US Navy test centers, as well as directly at their end-use sites - in seaports and material bases.
The purpose of the project is to assess the suitability exoskeleton for use by US Navy technicians and purchasers who work daily with heavy and often crowded equipment or who are subjected to excessive physical effort during the transportation of military supplies and equipment.
Lockheed Martin "Fortis" exoskeleton in action
Loader
Panasonic's Power Loader, Activelink, calls it a "power robot."
He looks like many exoskeleton prototypes showcased at trade fairs and other technology presentations.
However, it differs from them, in particular, the fact that it will soon be possible to buy it normally and for a not ruinous amount.
Power Loader enhances human muscle strength with 22 actuators. The impulses that drive the actuator are transmitted when the user applies force.
Sensors placed in the levers allow you to determine not only the pressure, but also the vector of the applied force, thanks to which the machine “knows” in which direction to act.
A version is currently being tested that allows you to freely lift 50-60 kg. The plans include Power Loader with a load capacity of 100 kg. The designers emphasize that the device is not so much put on as it fits. Maybe that's why they don't call it themselves exoskeleton.
Exoskeleton robot with power amplification Power Loader #DigInfo
Walker
With funds from the European Union, an international team of scientists has built a mind-controlled apparatus in three years of work that allows paralyzed people to move around.
The device, called the MindWalker, was one of the first to be used by patient Antonio Melillo, whose spinal cord was torn in a car accident, at Santa Lucia Hospital in Rome.
The victim lost sensation in his legs. User exoskeleton he puts on a cap with sixteen electrodes that record brain signals.
The package also includes glasses with flashing LEDs. Each glass has a set of LEDs flashing at different rates.
Blink rate affects the user's peripheral vision. The occipital cortex of the brain analyzes the emerging signals. If the patient is focused on the left set of LEDs, exoskeleton will be set in motion. Concentrating on the right set slows down the device.
The exoskeleton without batteries weighs about 30 kg, so for this type of device it is quite light. MindWalker will keep an adult weighing up to 100 kg on his feet. Clinical trials of the equipment began in 2013. It is planned that MindWalker will be developed over the next few years.
HULC
It should be a full-fledged support for a soldier on the battlefield. The full name is Human Universal Load Carrier, and the abbreviation HULC is associated with a comic book strongman. It was first presented at the DSEi exhibition in London in 2009.
It consists of hydraulic cylinders and a computer protected from the environment and does not require additional cooling.
The exoskeleton allows carrying 90 kg of equipment at a speed of 4 km/h. at a distance of up to 20 km, and in running up to 7 km / h.
The presented prototype weighed 24 kg. In 2011, the performance of this equipment was tested, and a year later it was tested in Afghanistan.
The main structural element is titanium legs that support the work of muscles and bones, doubling their strength. Through the use of sensors exoskeleton can perform the same movements as a person. To carry items, you can use the LAD (Lift Assist Device) module, which is attached to the rear of the frame, and there are extensions with interchangeable ends above the levers.
This module allows you to lift objects up to 70 kg. It can be used by soldiers from 1,63 to 1,88 m tall, while the empty weight is 37,2 kg with six BB 2590 batteries, which are enough for 4,5-5 hours of operation (within a radius of 20 km) - however, it is expected they are replaced by Protonex fuel cells with a service life of up to 72 hours.
HULC is available in three types: assault (additional ballistic shield weighing 43 kg), logistic (payload 70 kg) and basic (patrol).
Exoskeleton Lockheed Martin HULC
STALKS
In the category of military installations, this is a step forward compared to HULC.
A few months ago, the US military called on scientists from research laboratories, the defense industry, and government agencies to work on equipment for the future soldier that would give him not only the superhuman strength provided by the already developed exoskeletonsbut also the ability to see, recognize and embrace on an unprecedented scale.
This new military order is most often referred to as "Iron Man's Clothes". TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) uses the most advanced technology. Sensors built into the suit will monitor the environment and the soldier himself.
The hydraulic frame should give strength, and a surveillance system similar to Google Glass should provide communications and intelligence for the XNUMXth century. All this should be integrated with the new generation of weapons.
In addition, the armor should provide protection in dangerous conditions, protect against bullets, starting from machine guns (even light ones) - all with armor made of a special “liquid” material that should instantly harden in the event of an impact. magnetic field or electric current to provide maximum protection against projectiles.
The military themselves hope that such a design will appear as a result of research currently being carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where a fabric suit has been developed that turns from liquid to solid under the influence of a magnetic field.
The first prototype, which is a fairly indicative model of the future TALOS, was presented at one of the exhibition events in the United States in May 2014. A real and more complete prototype should be built in 2016-2018.
