Modelling and Development of Compressed Air Powered Human Exoskeleton Suit Human Exoskeleton

Abstract

Exoskeletons are used for force and mobility assistance which increases the various types of abilities of the person wearing it. Fundamentally, exoskeletons are used in carrying heavy weapons, material handling and disaster management. The problems faced by todays active exoskeletons are power consumption due to actuators used to make it active. Also, it has restricted number motions and degrees of freedoms due to rigid actuators. In Robot Study Circle, COEP, we have built a Compressed Air Powered Human Exoskeleton Suit (CAPHES) using which we can lift a weapon or a object weighing upto 35kgs without even feeling it. For that we have developed active upper body exoskeleton (AUBE) and passive lower body exoskeleton(PLBE). AUBE consists of Pneumatic Air Muscle (PAM) Actuators which we have developed in our lab. Due to these soft actuators, the exoskeleton has more number of degrees of freedom than exoskeletons with rigid actuators. PLBE helps in transferring the weight to be carried and the weight of the exoskeleton directly to the ground. Using PLBE exoskeleton can be also used as a chair-less chair.