Robotic Exoskeleton enhances human strength and endurance

gf0012-aust

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
I've posted this article as a legacy of some work with future soldier systems. Future soldier systems (like the US, UK, France, Australia) are identifying that the load ups for individyal soldiers is increasing. These technologies can serve to assist the future soldier in carrying much larger and more complex load ups.

BERKELEY – The mere thought of hauling a 70-pound pack across miles of rugged terrain or up 50 flights of stairs is enough to evoke a grimace in even the burliest individuals. But breakthrough robotics research at the University of California, Berkeley, could soon bring welcome relief — a self-powered exoskeleton to effectively take the load off people’s backs.

"We set out to create an exoskeleton that combines a human control system with robotic muscle," said Homayoon Kazerooni, professor of mechanical engineering and director of UC Berkeley’s Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory. "We’ve designed this system to be ergonomic, highly maneuverable and technically robust so the wearer can walk, squat, bend and swing from side to side without noticeable reductions in agility. The human pilot can also step over and under obstructions while carrying equipment and supplies."


The Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX) helps lighten the load for the human user.

The Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX), as it’s officially called, consists of mechanical metal leg braces that are connected rigidly to the user at the feet, and, in order to prevent abrasion, more compliantly elsewhere. The device includes a power unit and a backpack-like frame used to carry a large load.

Such a machine could become an invaluable tool for anyone who needs to travel long distances by foot with a heavy load. The exoskeleton could eventually be used by army medics to carry injured soldiers off a battlefield, firefighters to haul their gear up dozens of flights of stairs to put out a high-rise blaze, or rescue workers to bring in food and first-aid supplies to areas where vehicles cannot enter.

"The fundamental technology developed here can also be developed to help people with limited muscle ability to walk optimally," said Kazerooni.

The researchers point out that the human pilot does not need a joystick, button or special keyboard to "drive" the device. Rather, the machine is designed so that the pilot becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton, thus requiring no special training to use it. In the UC Berkeley experiments, the human pilot moved about a room wearing the 100-pound exoskeleton and a 70-pound backpack while feeling as if he were lugging a mere 5 pounds.

The project, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, began in earnest in 2000. Next week, from March 9 through 11, Kazerooni and his research team will showcase their project at the DARPA Technical Symposium in Anaheim, Calif.

For the current model, the user steps into a pair of modified Army boots that are then attached to the exoskeleton. A pair of metal legs frames the outside of a person’s legs to facilitate ease of movement. The wearer then dons the exoskeleton’s vest that is attached to the backpack frame and engine. If the machine runs out of fuel, the exoskeleton legs can be easily removed so that the device converts to a large backpack.

More than 40 sensors and hydraulic actuators form a local area network (LAN) for the exoskeleton and function much like a human nervous system. The sensors, including some that are embedded within the shoe pads, are constantly providing the central computer brain information so that it can adjust the load based upon what the human is doing. When it is turned on, the exoskeleton is constantly calculating what it needs to do to distribute the weight so little to no load is imposed on the wearer.

"We are taking great pains to make this as practical and robust as possible for the wearer," said Kazerooni. "Several engineers around the world are working on motorized exoskeletons that can enhance human strength, but we’ve advanced our design to the point where a ‘pilot’ could strap on the external metal frame and walk in figure eights around a room. No one else has done that."

One significant challenge for the researchers was to design a fuel-based power source and actuation system that would provide the energy needed for a long mission. The UC Berkeley researchers are using an engine that delivers hydraulic power for locomotion and electrical power for the computer. The engine provides the requisite energy needed to power the exoskeleton while affording the ease of refueling in the field.

The current prototype allows a person to travel over flat terrain and slopes, but work on the exoskeleton is ongoing, with the focus turning to miniaturization of its components. The UC Berkeley engineers are also developing a quieter, more powerful engine, and a faster, more intelligent controller, that will enable the exoskeleton to carry loads up to 120 pounds within the next six months. In addition, the researchers are studying what it takes to enable pilots to run and jump with the exoskeleton legs.

The engineers point out that while the exoskeleton does the heavy lifting, the human contributes to the balance. "The pilot is not ‘driving’ the exoskeleton," said Kazerooni. "Instead, the control algorithms in the computer are constantly calculating how to move the exoskeleton so that it moves in concert with the human."

Appropriately enough, the first step in the project began with researchers analyzing the human step. They gathered information about how people walk and move — including the propulsive force and torque needed from the ankles and the shock absorbing power of the knees — so they could adapt the exoskeleton to a wide range of natural human movements.

"Many scientists and engineers have been attempting to build a robotic strength enhancing device since the 1950s, and they’ve failed," said Kazerooni. "It is only through recent engineering breakthroughs that this dream is now becoming a reality."


 

Red aRRow

Forum Bouncer
Very interesting read. Thanks gf for posting it.
Only drawback I see is when the exoskeleton runs out of juice. Then it turns into a liability since the person would have to lug it around since it will be too expensive to throw away.
But a brilliant achievement nonetheless. :mrgreen
 

gf0012-aust

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
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  • #3
shamayel said:
Very interesting read. Thanks gf for posting it.
Only drawback I see is when the exoskeleton runs out of juice. Then it turns into a liability since the person would have to lug it around since it will be too expensive to throw away.
But a brilliant achievement nonetheless. :mrgreen
You could maintain and generate power by using motion sensors or motion dynamos built into the "joints"

Seiko do it with their watches, ;)

the other option is to have fuel cell cartridges as backups
 

Red aRRow

Forum Bouncer
You could maintain and generate power by using motion sensors or motion dynamos built into the "joints"

Seiko do it with their watches,
Yeah of course, stupid me for not thinking about the obvious! :help
I think the dynamo approach would be perfect in this application.
 

mysterious

New Member
Looking at the amount of stuff one soldier is carrying in those pics, I'd say that today's soldiers resemble the mules of the early ages where they had a ton of stuff thrown on their backs. Looks horrible I must say; there should be a movement or something against soldiers being made to carry this much stuff. The way I see it, for the top generals in their airconditioned luxurious offices (like at the Pentagon) an average soldier (lets say, fighting in the fatal heat striken deserts of Iraq) is nothing more than a sheep or a goat (or like I said a mule) to mount more & more stuff on him just to achieve selfish objectives of war.
 

Winter

New Member
mysterious said:
Looking at the amount of stuff one soldier is carrying in those pics, I'd say that today's soldiers resemble the mules of the early ages where they had a ton of stuff thrown on their backs. Looks horrible I must say; there should be a movement or something against soldiers being made to carry this much stuff. The way I see it, for the top generals in their airconditioned luxurious offices (like at the Pentagon) an average soldier (lets say, fighting in the fatal heat striken deserts of Iraq) is nothing more than a sheep or a goat (or like I said a mule) to mount more & more stuff on him just to achieve selfish objectives of war.
Don't forget, many of these 'generals' were once in the field too...It's not as if there is permanently a race of bureaucratic senior officers directly streamed into the Pentagon to make life hell for ten or twenty years for operating personnel...I suppose it may seem like it to some people. :roll
 

gf0012-aust

Grumpy Old Man
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The scientifically determined maximum ideal carry "non assisted" weight is 30% of bodyweight.

There are a substantial number of reasons why regular soldiers need some of this kit. It's a bit simplistic to make an assumption about load weightings like that. At various points in infantry history soldiers from Wellington/Napoleons time were typically lifting 60-80lb bergens.

I'd rather see troops with the right kit than an army that sends them in with stuff all.

There are numerous reasons for soldier load outs.

The way I see it, for the top generals in their airconditioned luxurious offices (like at the Pentagon) an average soldier (lets say, fighting in the fatal heat striken deserts of Iraq) is nothing more than a sheep or a goat (or like I said a mule) to mount more & more stuff on him just to achieve selfish objectives of war.
what makes this any different from a general who sits in an aircon office in Karachi or New Delhi? Whose objectives are selfish? It's a relative concept that is often based on personal bias and beliefs.

For me, I would suggest that any general that sent their troops into (eg) a mountain area without the right kit and logistics train should be held accountable.

Travelling "light" is not always an indication of smart deployment - in fact I'd argue that its indicative of appalling leadership and an abrogation of responsibility. Combat load is specific to the tasking. Hence specwarfare troops travel very light and tend to observe the 30% rule.


Are you capable of answering these things without prejudice coming through? - it tends to diminish the credibility of peoples answers when you already know their bias and subsequently know that their receptiveness to alternative views is challenged.
 

DRUB

New Member
The article does mention mobility, however, surely there are times when the mobility the exoskeloton provides is too limited. What about crawing through bushes or slimging a tree?

I think the idea is great in theory, however, there still needs to be a lot of improvement before it can be deployed on the field. Its a good start though

:)
 

gf0012-aust

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
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DRUB said:
The article does mention mobility, however, surely there are times when the mobility the exoskeloton provides is too limited. What about crawing through bushes or slimging a tree?

I think the idea is great in theory, however, there still needs to be a lot of improvement before it can be deployed on the field. Its a good start though

:)
For a 1st generation technology demonstrater it's a pretty good effort. After all they are trying to demonstrate a capacity to uplift - not trying to make it a symbiotic package which could cope with severe lateral forces generated by dodging and swerving.

It would be interesting to see this at it's next version.
 
A

Aussie Digger

Guest
Unfortunately Mysterious what would you ask a soldier to leave behind in order to reduce the weight? Their weapons perhaps? Maybe ammunition, food or water. Their bullet resistant vest (flak jacket) or helmet perhaps? Maybe their grenades or light anti-armour weapons, or night vision equipment or radio's, maps, compasses, GPS equipment, sleeping gear, personal gear such as shaving kit, toothbrush, wash cloths etc. The list goes on and on. Unfortunately all of these things are necessary to conduct warfare these days. Each and every infantry soldiers needs all of these things and as such has to carry if for himself. Of course research is ongoing in ways to lighten and reduce the amount of equipment one has to carry, but balanced against this is new technology which provides new equipment and capabilities which allow soldiers to achieve new things. It's a pain in the arse, but if you're going to soldier these days at some point you'll have to lift a might big pack onto your back and start walking. There to date has been no other way found to achieve this. IN saying this however, a soldier rarely carries a pack around all the time. Normally you would be operating from a vehicle or from a particular area. Then you simply carry what you need for the mission at hand not all the stuff I mentioned earlier. Cheers.
 

maninalift

New Member
Perpetual motion machine

shamayel said:
Very interesting read. Thanks gf for posting it.
Only drawback I see is when the exoskeleton runs out of juice. Then it turns into a liability since the person would have to lug it around since it will be too expensive to throw away.
But a brilliant achievement nonetheless. :mrgreen
Are you joking?

What you are talking about making is a perpetual motion machine. For all of the energy you take out with spriongs and flywheels you must put in extra with the mechanism. Watches last for years on those little tiney batterie, they don't really do much, they certainly don't carry your bags for you, that is why they can be powered by 'momentum capture' without any noticible extra forces on the wearer.
 

Gremlin29

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
Having humped a ruck myself I can see the benefit of this device. One must reallize that soldiers do not "carry" all of their kit into battle. It must also be remembered that the battlefield itself is composed of several area elements, all but the FEBA would be appropriate environments for the model illustrated.
 

davh12

New Member
Exoskeleton

It would be nice if the military would acquisition at least the "half exoskeleton that Raytheon or one other group is working on. My knees are trashed after 15 years in the Infantry humping a ruck sack.

Regards,

Dav:kar
 

Kilo 2-3

New Member
Would an exoskeleton be adaptable for airborne troops? Paratroopers seem to jump with heavy loads (During D-Day, troopers in the 101st and 82nd Airborne jumped with up to a 100lbs. of gear) and they would benefit from the ability to carry increased loads without a severe reduction in mobility.m

However, the drop might pose a problem (the jumper needs to crumple slightly on impact and an exoskeleton might hinder this. Correct me if I'm wrong)
 
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