Ethoskeleton: Societal Support

Jeffrey Brown, in “A ‘Jumper Cable’ for the Brain Helps a Paralyzed Man Regain Hand Movement” from PBS NewsHour, demonstrates that scientists have made progress in combining both the brain and robotics. An example of robotics being combined with the brain is Ian Burkhart who is paralyzed can now move his arms due to new technology in robotics. Brown further supports his claim with a number of facts and studies. First, he talks about how Burkhart can move his arm even though he his paralyzed from the waist down due to his spinal cord being injured in an accident. With the help of a computer chip they are now able to read the message directly from the brain with a brain implant. Second, he talks about the electronic sleeve that Burkhart wears

The trend for athleisure—activewear meant to be worn both inside and outside the gym —has quickly influenced traditional athletic apparel companies, which now must modify their product lines. Consumers demand activewear that has the performance element for their exercise routines, but is also stylish enough to be worn outside the gym, in case they were to stop on their way home from the gym to

Modern prosthetic limbs have become very advanced in the last decade. They now have the ability to grip objects, have running limbs, and many more wonderful things. Although these prosthetics are great, they are lacking some key extras that amputees would relish. What amputees really want is their sense of feeling back. They want to reach out with their prosthetic limb and be able to tell if the stove is on or off. They want to be able to press the gas of an automobile. This sense, that all non-amputees take for granted, would be a great place to start the improvement of the perfect prosthetic limb. To accomplish such a daunting task, engineers must figure out an alternative source that could interact with the amputees still intact nerve endings. This way they can use their still functioning nerves to communicate with their pseudo-nerve and have the ability to move their prosthesis around with complete control of it and its sense of touch. I believe this has not

Exoskeletons and orthoses are defined as mechanical devices “worn” by an operator and fitted closely to the body to work in concert with the operator’s movements. The term “exoskeleton” is used to describe a device that augments the wearers performance, while the term “orthosis” is used to describe a device used to assist a person with limb pathology. Lower extremity exoskeletons seek to circumvent the limitations of autonomous legged robots by adding a human operator to the system. The system is designed in parallel with human limbs to augment human strength and endurance during locomotion. The basic system design consists of two powered anthropomorphic legs, a power unit, associated actuators, sensors, and a control unit.

On top of all of that there's a ton of certain physical requirements (Jermey). There is also much effectiveness lost in the exoskeleton which could backfire in warfare.

A major impetus to improving artificial limbs started when the United States encouraged companies to improve prosthetics instead of munitions (Norton, 2007). The combination of lighter materials and robotics assist has created huge advancements in functionality and has dramatically improved quality of life and potential for independent living. Even with the advancement of these limbs, the basic mechanical principals are still the same. Modern times allow for many different types of limbs to be created. Limbs can be created to match skin tone, freckles and fingerprints. There are three many ways a limb can be made to move. The first is attaching the limb to a moving body part to act as a gear shifter. Another variation is a motor attached and the person can switch modes by a mechanical toggle shift. The most advanced movement is the myoelectric capability. This is when electrodes are placed on the muscles of the residual limb. When contracted the arm will move according to which electrode fired. A microprocessor can also be attached to learn exactly how the person walks (Clements, 2008). Modern prosthetics offer valuable life skills, yet are very

The Fortis exoskeleton is being designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Company. This industrial exoskeleton is there to help people that work in the military, fire fighters and construction workers. This exoskeleton is used to help enhance human’s physical capabilities. It is also used to help with strength and endurance. This exoskeleton is used to help lift very heavy equipment that may be used in a work place. The other aspect of this exoskeleton is that it helps ease the weight of the heavy equipment used in the military. This may look like it is heavy in weight but it only weighs 30 pounds! It is also used for easing the stress on the workers for when they use hand tools or physical equipment.

The Ankle Foot Orthosis at the University of Delaware (AFOUD) contains 2-DOF (inversion/eversion and dorsiflexion/plantarflexion motion) using an actuator, a spring and a damper to steadily maintain appropriate foot position of patient \cite{agrawal2005}. The Knee-Ankle-Foot-Orthosis (KAFO) uses artificial pneumatic muscles being a powered orthosis in walking step \cite{sawicki2009}. The study of gait rehabilitation, human motor adaptation and locomotion energetics were previously done by their work of ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). The Robotic Gait Trainer (RGT) (Figure \ref{fig:rgt}) from the Arizona State University presented a walking device using a tripod mechanism

Imagine a world with no physical human limits. A world where you can run for miles, or pick up two hundred pounds without a blink of an eye. Before the invention of exoskeletons, Robert Heinlein wrote about fighting suits (exoskeletons) in the novel Starship Troopers (Technovelgy.com). Exoskeletons can make everyone's life easier, whether in school or at work. Exoskeletons can even help in war by increasing our soldier's stamina. These devices will definitely make America a stronger country.

I spent the majority of my time in my Shaptic Technologies HC5000 fully adjustable haptic chair. (…) When I was strapped in to it, the unit could flip, spin or shake my body to create the sensation that I was falling, flying, or sitting behind the wheel of a nuclear-powered rocket sled hurtling at Mach2 through a canyon on the fourth moon of Altair VI. The chair worked in conjunction with my Shaptic Bootsuit, a full-body haptic feedback suit. It covered every inch of my body from the neck down and (…) could both sense and inhibit my movements. Built into the inside of the suit was a web like network of miniature actuators that made contact with my skin every few centimeters. These could be activated in small or large groups for the purpose

Better Fitness, Inc. (BFI), manufactures exercise equipment at its plant in Freeport, Long Island. It recently designed two universal weight machines for the home exercise market. Both machines use BFI-patented technology that provides the user with an extremely wide range of motion capability for each type of exercise performed. Until now, such capabilities have been available only on expensive weight machines used primarily by physical therapists. At a recent trade show, demonstrations of the machines resulted in significant dealer interest. In fact, the number of orders that BFI received at the trade show far exceeded its manufacturing capabilities for the current production period. As a result, management decided to begin

Scientists from all around the world have been working on how to make hemiplegia, paraplegia and quadriplegia manageable. With this thought in mind, scientists looked to arachnids, lobsters, crabs, and other creatures with exoskeletons. They marveled at the outer skeleton and wondered how they could use that idea to help the disabled. Their idea was to have something support and control the movement outside the body instead of the inside. If the body itself isn 't able to work properly, then why not make something that can

This report provides a comprehensive design methodology for the thin flexible compression column for implementation into a load bearing garment. The thin flexible compression column exists as part of a larger load bearing system, which has military and civilian applications in load assist and injury prevention. This system was designed to quasi-actively assist in the load carriage for a soldier (body armor and rucksack) without sacrificing safety, flexibility, or comfort. The column serves as the connection between shoulder and waist, transferring load in compression.

It would also allow the patients to wear the device outside the laboratory, creating more opportunities to capture elusive phenomena [134]. This would require a low-power device implementing a hardware efficient EEG processing algorithm.

As for military uses, there is the HULC which is a completely un-tethered, hydraulic-powered anthropomorphic exoskeleton that provides users with the ability to carry loads of up to 200 pounds for extended periods of time and over all terrains. The HULC has a versatile design, being able to compensate for the user’s positions such as squats, crawls and upper-body lifting. These functions prevent the user from suffering back and leg injuries that would be caused by lifting heavy weights. (Lockheed Martin, 2013)