Existing+Exoskeleton+Designs

= = back to Load Carrying Exoskeleton = = =Patents=

= = A load bearing apparatus is presented in the form of a passive exoskeleton whereby a load may be placed on the passive exoskeleton and thereby weight of the load from the passive exoskeleton is transferred to the ground surface. The passive exoskeleton is made of a rigid body member for attaching proximate a portion of the user's body a sliding rod attached with the body member; a ground surface engage able foot analog attached with the sliding rod a rocker pivotally attached with the body member, a load pin attached with the sliding rod and operable attached with the rocker and a bias block attached with the body member for engaging with the rocker. As a user walks, the bias block pivots the rocker to aid the load pin in transferring weight to the rocker and thereafter through the sliding rod tot her food analog and ground surface.



A lower extremity exoskeleton, configurable to be coupled to a person, comprises two leg supports configurable to be coupled to the person's lower limbs and configured to rest on the ground during their stance phases. Each leg support comprises a thigh link, a shank link, and two knee joints. Each knee joint is configured to allow flexion and extension between the respective shank link and the respective thigh link. The lower extremity exoskeleton also comprises an exoskeleton trunk configurable to be coupled to the person's upper body. The exoskeleton trunk is rotatably connectable to the thigh links of the leg supports allowing for the flexion and extension between the leg supports and the exoskeleton trunk. In this exemplary embodiment, the energy required for flexion and extension movement between the shank link and the respective thigh link of a leg support over a cyclic knee motion is provided by the person.



An exoskeleton worn by a human user consists of a rigid harness, worn about the waist of the user, and exoskeleton leg structures, each of which extends downwardly alongside one of the human user's legs. The leg structures include hip, knee, and ankle joints connected by adjustable length thigh and shin members. The hip joint that attaches the thigh structure to the pelvic harness includes a passive spring or an active actuator to assist in lifting the exoskeleton and the human user with respect to the ground surface upon which the user is walking and to propel the exoskeleton and human user forward. A controllable damper operatively arrests the movement of the knee joint at controllable times during the walking cycle and a spring located at the ankle and foot member stores and releases energy during walking.



Exoskeleton for physical activity, specially snow skiing, for preventing knee, leg and hip injuries by preventing the excessive torsion of the knee and other movements that could be dangerous for the person wearing it. The exoskeleton diverts the potential dangerous forces to the strong parts of the body and resists the generated forces when it reaches dangerous anatomical positions. The exoskeleton includes at least one first support member configured to couple above the knee; at least one second support member configured to couple below the knee; both of them linked together by a linkage assembly that limits that the coupling to the body of the support members reach dangerous positions; and at least one angle limitation mechanism that limits the relative rotation between the first support member and the second support member.

=Videos=

= = [|Wiki-Hulc] media type="youtube" key="y1CeBOWm67A" width="425" height="350"
 * Hulc- Human Universal Load Carrier**

media type="youtube" key="-UpxsrlLbpU" width="425" height="350"
 * Raytheon Sarcos XOS 2**