I remember seeing "Avatar" I was completely stunned by the exoskeletons shown there. Since then, I think that the future belongs to these smart pieces of iron. I also really want to attach my sharpened hands to this topic on the wrong side. Moreover, if you believe the analytical agency ABI Research, the volume of the world market for exoskeletons by 2025 will amount to $ 1.8 billion. At this stage, not being a techie, engineer, architect and programmer, I am in some confusion. I think how to approach this topic. I would be glad if people who would be potentially interested in participating in such projects are noted in the comments to the article.

Currently, there are four key companies operating on the exoskeleton market: American Indego, Israeli ReWalk, Japanese Hybrid Assistive Limb and Ekso Bionics. average cost their products from 75 to 120 thousand euros. In Russia, people also do not sit without doing. For example, the Exoathlet company is actively working on medical exoskeletons.

The first exoskeleton was jointly developed by General Electric and the United States military in the 60s, and was called the Hardiman. He could lift 110 kg with the force applied when lifting 4.5 kg. However, it was impractical due to its significant weight of 680 kg. The project was not successful. Any attempt to use a full exoskeleton ended in intense uncontrolled movement, as a result of which it was never fully tested with the person inside. Further research focused on one hand. Although she had to lift 340 kg, her weight was 750 kg, which was twice the lifting capacity. Without getting all the components together to work practical use the Hardiman project was limited.

REX

Features and specifications:
1. Independent walking. Requires no crutches or other means of stabilization while keeping your hands free.
4. The exoskeleton for legs allows you to: stand up, sit down, turn around, walk backward, stand on one leg, walk up stairs, walk on various, even inclined surfaces.
5. The device is very easy to operate - all functions are activated with a joystick.
6. The device can be used all day thanks to the high-capacity removable battery.
7. With a light weight of only 38 kilograms, the REX can support a user weighing up to 100 kilograms and growing from 1.42 to 1.93 meters.
8. Convenient fixation system does not cause any discomfort even if you wear it all day.
9. Also, when the user does not move, but just stands REX does not waste battery power.
10. Access to buildings without ramps, thanks to the ability to walk on stairs without outside help.

DIY exoskeleton

How can you independently implement an exoskeleton?

To make it wildly strong, as I understand it, it should be stopped on hydraulics.
For the hydraulic system to work, you need:

- strong and flexible frame
-minimally required set hydraulic pistons (I'll call them "muscles")
-two vacuum pump, two pressure chambers with a valve system connected by a tube.
-tubes capable of withstanding high pressure.
-power supply exoskeleton
To operate the valve system:
-Small dead computer
-about 30 sensors with seven (for example) degrees proportional to the valve openings
- a special program capable of reading the states of the sensors and sending the appropriate commands to the valves.

Why all this is needed:

- "muscles" and the frame itself is the entire musculoskeletal system.
-vacuum pumps. why two? so that one increases the pressure in the pressure chambers of the pipes and muscles, and the second decreases.
- pressure chambers connected by a tube. in one, increase the pressure in the second, decrease, and equip the tube with a valve that opens only in two cases: pressure equalization, ensuring idle move liquids.
-valves. it's simple and efficient system control, which will depend on the pressure in the pressure chamber and computer control. by increasing the pressure in the pressure chamber, opening the valves of the channels of the "strained muscles" will allow one or another action to be carried out by increasing the pressure on the hydraulic pistons, moving parts of the skeleton (frame).

Sensors, why about thirty? Two for the feet, three for the legs, six for the arms and 4 for the back. how to arrange them? against the movement of the limbs. so that the leg extended forward presses from the inside on the exoskeleton and on the sensor on its inner side. further I will explain why it is so.
-computer with the program. the main task of the computer and the program is to make sure that the sensors do not experience pressure, then the person inside will not feel the excess resistance of the exoskeleton, which will strive to repeat the movements of a person regardless of the activity of nerves, muscles or any other biometric indicators, thereby allowing the use of much cheaper sensors than, for example, in high-tech exoskeletons. sensor signals for a computer should be divided into two groups: with unconditional control hydraulic system and accepted only under the condition that the opposite sensor with unconditional control does not experience pressure. This implementation will keep the leg propped with the knee in the ground from automatic extension if the person does not extend it himself. But for this, the person inside the exoskeleton will have to raise his leg from the ground (or you need to programmatically reduce the sensitivity of the sensors triggered with the condition). Using a leg as an example: place sensors with an unconditional signal on the front side, with an unconditional signal on the back. imagine how the movement will be carried out. when a person bends a leg, the leg of the exoskeleton will bend even if the entire weight of the person is on the leg extension sensors. Here, using an accelerometer (or other apparatus similar to the vestibular), you can programmatically set the change in the unconditionality of the sensor signals depending on the position of the body in space, eliminating the twisting of the exoskeleton when falling on the back.

Further, to increase the strength, make your hands three-fingered, strong, you can combine hydraulics and a metal cable. the hand should be separate from the human, that is, in front of the wrist joint, this will eliminate the constructive difficulties associated with finding the human hand in the exoskeleton hand and will not allow injury to the human hand, as well as the human foot should be on the ankle joint of the exoskeleton and protected.
- hand control. a little free space for two-thirds of the freedom of movement of the hand and fingers of the human hand in the hand of the exoskeleton and a system of three rings on cables, three fingers from the little finger to the middle finger in one, the index finger in the other and the thumb in the third. all control is reduced to the fact that the person's fingers, moving the ring that is put on them, rotate the sensor wheel with a cable, depending on the rotation of which the fingers of the exoskeleton are bent and unbent. this will eliminate unnecessary hydraulic effort to extend or flex the exoskeleton fingers beyond its design capabilities. use one cable for two rings, for one or two. Why? by the fact that the fingers from the little finger to the index finger need to be bent and unbend only in one direction and the thumb in two. You can check on your own hands if you want.

Power supply exoskeleton- here with etm again comes out a terrible mudyatina. You need to choose a power source only after making all the necessary calculations, maximizing the design of the exoskeleton and measuring its energy consumption.

I remember seeing "Avatar" I was completely stunned by the exoskeletons shown there. Since then, I think that the future belongs to these smart pieces of iron. I also really want to attach my sharpened hands to this topic on the wrong side. Moreover, according to the analytical agency ABI Research, the volume of the world market for exoskeletons by 2025 will amount to $ 1.8 billion. At this stage, not being a techie, engineer, architect and programmer, I am in some confusion. I think how to approach this topic. I would be glad if people who would be potentially interested in participating in such projects are noted in the comments to the article.
Currently, there are four key companies operating on the exoskeleton market: American Indego, Israeli ReWalk, Japanese Hybrid Assistive Limb and Ekso Bionics. The average cost of their products is from 75 to 120 thousand euros. In Russia, people also do not sit without doing. For example, the Exoathlet company is actively working on medical exoskeletons.

The first exoskeleton was jointly developed by General Electric and the United States military in the 60s, and was called the Hardiman. He could lift 110 kg with the force applied when lifting 4.5 kg. However, it was impractical due to its significant weight of 680 kg. The project was not successful. Any attempt to use a full exoskeleton ended in intense uncontrolled movement, as a result of which it was never fully tested with the person inside. Further research focused on one hand. Although she had to lift 340 kg, her weight was 750 kg, which was twice the lifting force. Without getting all the components together to work, the practical use of the Hardiman project was limited.

Further there will be a short story about modern exoskeletons, which in one way or another reached the level of commercial implementation.

1. Independent walking. Requires no crutches or other means to stabilize while keeping your hands free.
4. The exoskeleton for legs allows you to: get up / sit down, turn around, walk backwards, stand on one leg, walk up stairs, walk on various, even inclined surfaces.
5. The device is very easy to operate - all functions are activated with a joystick.
6. The device can be used all day thanks to the high-capacity removable battery.
7. With a light weight of only 38 kilograms, the REX can support a user weighing up to 100 kilograms and growing from 1.42 to 1.93 meters.
8. Convenient fixation system does not cause any discomfort even if you wear it all day.
9. Also, when the user does not move, but just stands REX does not waste battery power.
10. Access to buildings without ramps, thanks to the ability to walk up the stairs without assistance.

HAL

HAL ( Hybrid Assistive Limb) - is a robotic exoskeleton with upper limbs. On this moment two prototypes were developed - HAL 3 (restoration of motor function of the legs) and HAL 5 (restoration of the work of arms, legs and torso). With the HAL 5, the operator is able to lift and carry objects up to five times the maximum weight under normal conditions.

Price in Russia: promised for 243,600 rubles. The information could not be confirmed.

Features and specifications:

1. The weight of the device is 12 kg.
3. The device can work from 60 to 90 minutes without recharging.
4. The exoskeleton is actively used in the rehabilitation of patients with pathology of motor functions of the lower extremities due to disorders of the central nervous system or as a consequence of neuromuscular diseases.

Rewalk

The Rewalk is an exoskeleton that allows people with paralysis of the lower limbs to walk. Like an external skeleton or a bioelectronic suit, the ReWalk device uses special sensors to detect deviations in a person's balance, and then transforms them into impulses that normalize his movements, which allows a person to walk or stand. ReWalk is already available in Europe and is currently FDA approved in the United States.

Price in Russia: from 3.4 million rubles (by order).

Features and specifications:

1. The weight of the device is 25 kg.
2. The exoskeleton can carry up to 80 kg.
3. The device can work up to 180 minutes without recharging.
4. Battery charging time 5-8 hours
5. Exoskeleton is actively used in the rehabilitation of patients with pathology of motor functions of the lower extremities due to disorders of the central nervous system or as a result of neuromuscular diseases.

Ekso bionic

Ekso GT is another exoskeleton project that helps people with severe musculoskeletal diseases regain the ability to move.

Price in Russia: from 7.5 million rubles (by order).

Features and specifications:

1. The weight of the device is 21.4 kg.
2. The exoskeleton can carry up to 100 kg.
3. Maximum hip width: 42 cm;
4. Battery weight: 1.4 kg;
5. Dimensions (HxWxD): 0.5 x 1.6 x 0.4 m.
6. The exoskeleton is actively used in the rehabilitation of patients with pathology of motor functions of the lower extremities due to disorders of the central nervous system or as a result of neuromuscular diseases.

DM

DM ( Dream machine) Is a hydraulic automated exoskeleton with a voice control system.

Price in Russia: 700,000 rubles.

Features and specifications:

1. The weight of the device is 21 kg.
2. The exoskeleton must be able to support the user's weight up to 100 kg.
3. The scope of application can be much wider than the rehabilitation of patients with pathology of motor functions of the lower extremities due to disorders of the central nervous system or as a result of neuromuscular diseases. It can be industry, construction, show business and fashion industry.

Issues for discussion:

1. What is the optimal composition of the project team?
2. What is the initial project cost?
3. What are the pitfalls?
4. How do you see it optimal time project implementation from idea to commercial start?
5. Is it worth starting a similar project now and why?
6. What should be the geography and market expansion?
7. Personally, are you ready to take part in such a project, and if so, in what capacity?

ZY I would be grateful for constructive discussion, opinions, arguments and arguments for and against in the comments. I am sure that I am not the only one in thought. Meanwhile, I'm sure the exoskeleton is new iPhone in world popular culture on the horizon of the next ten years.

If you are one of those who have watched all the parts with great pleasure " Iron man", You were probably delighted with iron suit worn by Tony Stark before fighting the villains. Agree, it would be nice to have such a suit. In addition to being able to take you anywhere in the blink of an eye, even for bread, it would protect your body from all kinds of damage and give you superhuman strength.

You will probably not be surprised to learn that very soon, a lightweight version of the Iron Man suit will allow soldiers to run faster, carry heavy weapons, and move over rough terrain. In this case, the suit will protect them from bullets and bombs. Military engineers and private companies have been working on exoskeletons since the 60s of the last century, but only recent advances in electronics and materials science have brought us closer to realizing this idea than ever before.

In 2010, American defense contractor Raytheon demonstrated an experimental XOS 2 exoskeleton - essentially a robotic suit controlled by a human brain - that can lift two to three times as much weight as a human, with no effort or assistance. Another company, Trek Aerospace, is developing an exoskeleton with an integrated jetpack (jetpack) that can fly at a speed of 112 km / h and hover motionless above the ground. These and a number of other promising companies, including monsters like Lockheed Martin, bring the Iron Man suit closer to reality every year.

Read an interview with the creator of the Russian exoskeleton Stakhanov.

ExoskeletonXOS 2 fromRaytheon

Note that not only the military will benefit from the development of a good exoskeleton. One day, people with spinal cord injuries or degenerative diseases that restrict their ability to move will be able to move around with ease thanks to external wireframe suits. The first versions of exoskeletons, such as the ReWalk from Argo Medical Technologies, have already entered the market and have received widespread approval. However, at this point in time, the area of ​​exoskeletons is still in its infancy.

What kind of revolution do the exoskeletons of the future promise on the battlefield and? What technical hurdles do engineers and designers need to overcome to make exoskeletons truly practical for everyday use? Let's figure it out.

The history of the development of exoskeletons

Warriors have put armor on their bodies since time immemorial, but the first idea of ​​a body with mechanical muscles appeared in science fiction in 1868, in one of Edward Sylvester Ellis's penny novels. The Steam Prairie Man described a gigantic steam engine human form, which moved its inventor, the brilliant Johnny Brainerd, at a speed of 96.5 km / h, when he hunted bulls and Indians.

But this is fantastic. The first real patent for an exoskeleton was received by the Russian mechanical engineer Nikolai Yagn in the 1890s in America. The famous designer has lived overseas for more than 20 years, has patented a dozen ideas describing an exoskeleton that allows soldiers to run, walk and jump with ease. However, in fact, Yagn is known only for the creation of the "Friend of the Fireman" - an automatic device that supplies water to steam boilers.

Exoskeleton patented by N. Yagn

By 1961, two years after Marvel Comics invented its Iron Man and Robert Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers, the Pentagon decided to make its own exosuits. He set the task of creating a "servo-soldier", which was described as a "human capsule equipped with steering and amplifiers", which made it possible to move heavy objects quickly and easily, and also protect the carrier from bullets, poisonous gas, heat and radiation. By the mid-1960s, Cornell University engineer Neil Meisen had developed a 15.8-pound wearable skeleton exoskeleton called the "superhuman suit" or "human amplifier." It allowed the user to lift 453 kilograms with each hand. By the same time, General Electric had developed a similar 5.5-meter device, the so-called "pedipulator", which was operated from the inside by the operator.

Despite these very interesting steps, they were not crowned with success. The suits proved to be impractical, but research continued. In the 1980s, scientists at the Los Alamos Laboratory created a design for the so-called "Pitman" suit, an exoskeleton for use by American troops. However, the concept remained only on the drawing board. Since then, the world has seen a few more developments, but the lack of materials and energy constraints never allowed us to see the real Iron Man suit.

Over the years, exoskeleton manufacturers have been cornered by the limits of technology. The computers were too slow to process the commands that set the suits in motion. The power supply was not enough to make the exoskeleton portable enough, and the electromechanical actuators that moved the limbs were simply too weak and cumbersome to work "like a human." Nevertheless, a start was made. The idea of ​​an exoskeleton turned out to be too promising for the military and medical fields to just part with it.

Machine man

In the early 2000s, the desire to create a real Iron Man suit began to lead at least somewhere.

Defense Agency promising developments DARPA, an incubator for exotic and advanced technologies The Pentagon launched a $ 75 million program to create an exoskeleton to complement the human body and its performance. DARPA's list of requirements was quite ambitious: the agency wanted a vehicle that would allow a soldier to tirelessly carry hundreds of kilograms of cargo all day long, support large weapons that usually require two operators, and also be able to take a wounded soldier, if necessary, from the battlefield. In this case, the car must be invulnerable to fire, and also jump high. The DARPA plan was immediately deemed impracticable by many.

But not all.

Sarcos - led by robot creator Steve Jacobsen, who previously created an 80-ton mechanical dinosaur - came up with an innovative system in which sensors and these signals were used to control a set of valves, which in turn controlled high-pressure hydraulics in joints. ... Mechanical joints moved cylinders connected by cables that mimic the tendons that connect human muscles. As a result, the experimental XOS exoskeleton was born, which made humans look like a giant insect. Sarcos was eventually acquired by Raytheon, which continued development to introduce the second generation of the suit five years later.

The XOS 2 exoskeleton got the public so excited that Time magazine named it one of the top five in 2010.

Meanwhile, other companies, such as Berkeley Bionics, have worked to reduce the amount of energy required by artificial limbs in order for the exoskeleton to function long enough to be practical. One of the 2000s projects, Human Load Carrier (HULC), could last up to 20 hours on a single charge. Progress moved forward little by little.

Exoskeleton HAL

By the end of the decade, the Japanese company Cyberdyne had developed the HAL robotic suit, even more incredible in its design. Rather than relying on the contractions of a human operator's muscles, HAL worked on sensors that read electrical signals from the operator's brain. In theory, a HAL-5 based exoskeleton could allow the user to do whatever they want, just by thinking about it, without moving a single muscle. But for now, these exoskeletons are a project for the future. And they have their own problems. For example, only a few exoskeletons to date have received public approval. The rest are still being tested.

Development problems

By 2010, DARPA's exoskeleton project was showing some results. Currently, advanced exoskeleton systems weighing up to 20 kilograms can lift under 100 kilograms of payload with virtually no operator effort. At the same time, the latest exoskeletons work quieter than an office printer, can move at a speed of 16 km / h, perform squats and jump.

Recently, one of the defense agency's contractors, Lockheed Martin, unveiled its exoskeleton designed for weight lifting. The so-called "passive exoskeleton", designed for shipyard workers, simply transfers the load onto the exoskeleton's feet on the ground.

The difference between modern exoskeletons and those developed in the 60s is that they are equipped with GPS sensors and receivers. Thus, further raising the stakes for use in the military sphere. Soldiers could gain many benefits from such exoskeletons, from precise geo-positioning to additional superpowers. DARPA is also developing automated tissues that could be used in exoskeletons to monitor heart and respiratory health.

If the American industry continues to move this way, it will very soon have ones that can not only move "faster, higher, stronger", but also carry an additional several hundred payload. Nevertheless, it will take at least several more years before the real " iron men"Will take to the battlefield.

As is often the case, the development of military agencies (remember, for example, the Internet) can be of great benefit to Peaceful time because technology will eventually come out and help people. Those suffering from complete or partial paralysis, people with spinal cord injuries and muscle atrophy will be able to lead more fulfilling lives. Berkeley Bionics, for example, is testing eLegs, a battery-powered exoskeleton that will allow a person to walk, sit, or just stand for extended periods of time.

One thing is for sure: the beginning of the process of rapid development of exoskeletons was laid at the beginning of this century (let's call it the second wave), and how it all ends will become known very, very soon. Technologies never stand still, and if engineers take on something, they bring it to its logical conclusion.