Resumo de Devoloping Robotic Exoskeleton That Can Enhance Human Strength And Endurance

Write your abstract

here.UC Berkeley researchers developing robotic

exoskeleton that can enhance human strength and

endurance

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. (UC
Berkeley

photo)

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.

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