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What is an exoskeleton? This is the “external skeleton”, which, due to the frame, increases the strength of a person. He must follow the biomechanics, which will allow him to proportionally increase the strength during the movements. Among the areas of application of exoskeletons are military affairs, Agriculture and medicine.

About such developments in medical fields e - I ask under the hack.

First exoskeleton

First, a little history. Like many inventions, the exoskeleton came to us from the military sphere. The first example was developed by General Electric and the US Army in the 1960s. Looks impressive, doesn't it? He transformed the effort you use to lift four and a half kilograms into 110 kg.

But it had two disadvantages: it weighed 680 kg and the inability to compare the movement with the movement of a person. That is, he did not receive feedback from the person after the movement began.

Then exoskeletons for the army were repeatedly developed. After all, they can greatly increase the carrying capacity of one soldier, so that he can take a larger machine gun and equipment with him to the regiment.

Who else needs to increase their strength? For those who have too little. For those who are paralyzed and cannot walk independently. It is they who can be helped by such projects.

Exoskeleton for a nurse

Who, if not the Japanese, should come up with exoskeletons for caring for the elderly? Only in this case is it a concern for the young ones - the nurses who have to lift and shift patients. The purpose of such an exoskeleton, like the Ribo robot, is to shift.

The Power Assist Suit was introduced in Japan in the 1990s.

Later, HAL, an exoskeleton cyber suit, was introduced in Japan. Initially, it was designed specifically for lifting and moving patients. In addition, he could help elderly and disabled people move independently.

ReWalk

The US Food and Drug Administration only registered the first exoskeleton for the rehabilitation of patients with spinal injuries this summer.

ReWalk from Israeli developers has a remote control remote control in the shape of wristwatch. It’s just better to use crutches for additional stability. Anything is better than sitting in a chair, I think.

A couple of years ago, this suit helped a paralyzed woman complete a marathon.

ExoAtlet

ExoAtlet is a Russian development. It is intended “for verticalization and walking of a patient with impaired locomotor functions lower limbs”.

Industrial-scale production is still a long way off, but the prototype, judging by information on the network, is already in operation. If you have anything to add on this topic, please write in the comments or in private messages.

Soft exoskeletons

A flexible exoskeleton that replicates the biomechanics of the human leg can be promising direction in this area. After all, the glands around the leg are clearly inferior to healthy parts of the body in terms of maneuverability.

Several universities and wearable sensor developer BioScience are developing this “overlay” with artificial muscles, sensors and software. Here you can see both artificial tendons and artificial muscles stretched from the outside of the leg.

The great difficulty lies precisely in flexibility: this is why control methods, that is, sensors, must be particularly accurate.

Such equipment will help not only people with impaired mobility of the foot and ankle (for now, only the device works there), but in the future it can be used in other areas - on the hands, for example.

This video clearly shows the artificial muscles and also shows the sensors used in this soft exoskeleton.

3D printing

3D printers in medicine can be very useful. How they helped Amanda Boxtel, paralyzed from the waist down. Specialists from 3D Systems scanned her body and, together with EksoBionics, printed this exoskeleton.

I think it's amazingly cool to be able to stand on your own two feet again after years of not being able to walk.

Robosuit and football

Giuliano Pinto kicked the ball at the opening of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It seemed like nothing interesting - he kicked and kicked. But he is completely paralyzed, this 29-year-old guy. He controlled the exoskeleton with the help of his own brain, and not with the help of remote control or his own legs, in which at least some possibility of movement remained.

The creator of this exoskeleton is Miguel Nicolesis from Brazil. The government of the country allocated him 14 million dollars for these developments, which is not that much high amount, when compared with how much is spent on similar projects in the USA.

Will neurofeedback be the future in prosthetics and exoskeletons? It seems obvious to me that work in this direction must be carried out with terrible force. But for this it is necessary to attract investment.

Exoskeletons can not only increase human strength or protect him no worse powerful armor. Thanks to these metal structures, an ordinary person can run a marathon without getting out of breath or dive to a depth of 300 meters. Exoskeletons are even giving paralyzed people the ability to walk. What is an exoskeleton?

This is a metal frame up to 2-2.5 meters high with a power source and software. People still don't fly like Iron Man, only because of problems with the power supply - the developers have not yet found a sufficiently light and powerful option. In the future, the luminaries of science hope for wireless transmission energy, but this idea has not yet come to fruition.

We may not be able to use exoskeletons all the time, but it’s quite possible to feel like Tony Stark for a couple of hours. We will tell you about ten models of exoskeletons that help people in various professions, as well as those who suffer from a variety of diseases.

Activelink Power Loader

Remember the robotic forklift from the cult film "Aliens"? This exoskeleton is named after him. It was developed by Activelink, a subsidiary of the Japanese Panasonic. The manufacturer promises that with the help of the Power Loader, even a child will be able to lift a load weighing 30 kg with one hand.

Using sensors, the exoskeleton “feels” when the user applies force, and 18 electromagnetic motors instantly take over all the work. The device weighs 230 kilograms, but you won’t even feel it: thanks to the girth around the legs, the aluminum structure supports itself and does not put pressure on the user.

This is a whole line of military exoskeletons - the third generation is currently in development. The structure weighs only 80 kg, but allows the owner to lift loads weighing up to 90 kg without wincing.

Unfortunately, XOS 2 is tied to external source power supply, so there is no point in using it in battle: the power cable will be damaged and the exoskeleton will turn into a pile of scrap metal. The creators are trying to solve the power problem as soon as possible, and perhaps XOS 3 will switch to built-in batteries.

And here is another American military exoskeleton. Unlike the previous model, which was completely devoid of armor, TALOS is designed to become a shield for a soldier. Of course, it’s too early to talk about complete invulnerability, but the exoskeleton’s armor is capable of protecting against shrapnel and bullets, and the ability to move around the battlefield with 45 kilograms of equipment is a nice addition.

The system will take care of the owner: many sensors monitor the physical condition of the soldier. If he is injured, the inflatable cuffs will automatically stop the bleeding. Full specifications TALOS are classified - also on at this stage Only prototypes are ready. The final model will enter service with the United States Army by 2018.

No, this model will not turn a person into a green monster, but it will allow you to carry 140 kilograms. In this case, the system will automatically distribute the weight, even if you hold the load behind your back.

HULC, aka Human Universal Load Carrier, runs on lithium polymer batteries. A full charge, according to the manufacturers, Lockheed Martin and Berkeley Bionics, will last for 72 hours of operation. It is quite possible that this type of exoskeleton will be the first to enter service with the United States.

Jetpack

Run a mile (1.6 km) in 4 minutes with 45 kg of equipment? New product funded by Defense Advanced Defense Agency research projects USA (DARPA) – Jetpack – makes it real. Certainly, we're talking about about trained soldiers: an ordinary person will not achieve such speed, but the development is also aimed at military needs.

It is noteworthy that the exoskeleton recognizes damage that the owner may receive. If a soldier injured his knee, the system will automatically increase support in this place so that the person will not even notice it. Of course, it won’t be possible to compensate for the fracture, but even in this case, the Jetpack will turn out to be a real savior: even if you don’t get there, it’s quite possible to get to the medical station with its help.

Soft Exosuit

Exoskeletons are not always a mountain of metal. At least, that’s what employees at the Weiss Institute at Harvard University (USA) think, who have created a prototype of an exoskeleton that can be worn under clothing, like thermal underwear. DARPA has already become interested in the project and signed a contract for $2.9 million.

The Soft Exosuit will be made of functional fabric laced with sensors. Such an exoskeleton will not hamper movements, but will be able to analyze human movements better than a rigid structure. Developers are focused on preventing musculoskeletal injuries in combat environments, but the Soft Exosuit also has applications in peaceful life: it will help athletes during training, and disabled and elderly people - in everyday activities.

Like the Power Loader, this exoskeleton was developed in Japan. Its full name is Hybrid Assistive Limb. The device was first introduced back in 1997 by Cyberdine Inc, and now, after a series of prototypes, two models are in use: HAL 3 (restoration motor function legs) and HAL 5 (restoration of arms, legs and torso).

Since 2013, HAL has adopted more than 130 Japanese clinics for the rehabilitation of patients with chronic muscle and nervous systems. In the same year, HAL was issued a certificate for use in Europe. It is noteworthy that the exoskeleton can be rented - in Japan, the monthly fee for HAL 5 is about 17 thousand dollars.

Mobile Suit

Another Japanese invention. This exoskeleton, more like a spacesuit, was created to eliminate the consequences of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

It is based on the already mentioned HAL, but its functions are completely different. Mobile Suit does not restore motor abilities, but increases a person’s strength and protects him from radiation and overheating.

"ExoAtlet"

The medical model again, but this time Russian production. It will allow paralyzed people to refuse wheelchair and walk independently. According to the developers, ExoAtlet is intended for both medical and social rehabilitation of patients.

The first tests of the mechanism on patients will begin this month. From 700 candidates with musculoskeletal disorders, participants were selected for a clinical trial, which included a 30-hour training course on the ExoAtlet. After this, the issue of supplying the model to medical institutions will be decided.

Titan Arm

In 2013, students at the University of Pennsylvania received the Jason Dyson Award for their invention, the Titan Arm. It only strengthens the arms, and the basis of the structure is in the backpack, where the load is distributed. With this exoskeleton, anyone can lift an 18-kilogram load as if it weighed nothing.

This model is multi-purpose: it can be used in production where heavy lifting is required, by people with impaired motor function of the hands, or during rehabilitation after injuries and operations. But the main advantage of the Titan Arm, thanks to which the judges gave this development first place, is its relatively low production costs. You can buy the device for about 10 thousand dollars. For comparison: average cost the previous nine models is 90 thousand dollars. On this moment The exoskeleton is undergoing a number of clinical trials; the start of sales has not yet been announced.

America's largest research institutes have set out to create personal armor for each soldier, which will increase physical capabilities and the chance of survival during combat operations. And they did it.

This exoskeleton protects against bullets and shrapnel and allows you to move around the battlefield with equipment weighing up to 45 kg. Also TALOS has a built-in system for caring for the soldier’s health: equipped with many sensors that monitor the soldier’s physical condition. There is a system of inflatable cuffs that allows you to automatically stop bleeding in case of injury. There is no more information about the costume yet. The only thing scientists shared is that the exoskeleton will be put into service no earlier than 2018.

Source: practicalmama.com

XOS 2

And this is the development of the company’s scientists Raytheon from Salt Lake City University. First thing XOS 2 increases a person's strength. That is, in this you can easily destroy walls, or quickly calm down your mistress’s husband. The only caveat is that the exoskeleton does not have armor. Therefore, if your husband has a gun, it’s more likely not you, but he you.” will calm down“.

Another " joint" - Problems XOS 2 with autonomy. That is, the suit only works when connected to a source of electricity. Scientists promise to fix this. In the same way - and solve the problem with the reservation.

Hybrid Assistive Limb

Hybrid Assistive Limb created not for war, but on the contrary - for the most peaceful purposes. That is, for people who have problems with the musculoskeletal system. With this device, they can rise from a chair, walk up stairs, run at the speed of an Olympic champion - in general, live a full life. It is based on sensors capable of perceiving bio-electrical signals emanating from the human brain.

Source: japantimes.co.jp

Mobile Suit

Japan is probably tired of spending incredible amounts of money every year to eliminate the consequences of “ Fukushima“. Therefore she ( more precisely, engineers from the University of Tsukuba) modernized Hybrid Assistive Limb. And the result was a full-fledged suit, capable of increasing strength, protecting from radioactive dust, and saving from overheating.

In recent years, many gadgets and devices have appeared that are used to rehabilitate people with disabilities and make their lives easier, increase mobility, and improve physical parameters reduced or lost due to various diseases and injuries. But perhaps most notable event has become the appearance of exoskeletons, which are used not only as rehabilitation equipment, but also in everyday life. Exoskeletons have made a real revolution in rehabilitation, making it possible to do what seemed fantastic just a few decades ago - getting a paralyzed person out of a wheelchair and restoring his ability to walk.

When and how did exoskeletons first appear? What are they? What models of exoskeletons are designed for people with disabilities? How much do they cost? Are there such devices in Russia? Let's try to find answers to these questions and figure out what it really is - an expensive toy or real-life devices that can replace wheelchairs.

From combat robots to medical equipment

The idea of ​​​​creating an exoskeleton belongs to Russian mechanical engineer Nikolai Young, who lived and worked in the USA. In the late 80s of the 19th century, he registered several patents on this topic. Yagn believed that such a device would make it easier for a person to walk and run, but first of all, the exoskeleton, according to the inventor’s calculations, was intended for soldiers.

Science fiction writers made a huge contribution to the development of exoskeletons, as often happened with many inventions. A good example is Robert Hanlein’s novel, published in the late 1950s. Starship Troopers", in which space marine soldiers fought with alien monsters in special frame suits that made it easier for them to move and carry weapons and ammunition.

It is not surprising that the first exoskeletons were developed for the needs of the army. The pioneer in this area was the American company General Electric, whose specialists, commissioned by the US Department of Defense, created the Hardiman exoskeleton in the 60s of the last century. Its operator could, with the effort of lifting 4.5 kg of weight, lift a load weighing 110 kg. However, the Hardiman was too impractical due to its enormous mass of 680 kg, which made it much more difficult to use. Another drawback of the first exoskeletons, making them impossible practical use, there were uncontrolled intense movements.

The first development of exoskeletons intended for use for medical purposes began in the late 70s of the 20th century. A pioneer in this field was the Yugoslav scientist Miomir Vukobratovic, who developed a pneumatically driven exoskeleton that was designed to help paralyzed people get back on their feet. Vukobratovich’s project formed the basis of an exoskeleton for people with disabilities, created in the early 80s in Central Institute traumatology and orthopedics named after N.N. Priorova.

Despite the fact that the idea of ​​using an external frame to enhance human muscle strength and using such a device for the rehabilitation of people with lesions of the musculoskeletal system was on the surface, it was not possible to put this idea into practice for a very long time. Imperfect technology, lack of necessary materials, lack of mobile power sources - all this did not allow the creation of an exoskeleton that could be used in practical medicine and Everyday life people with disabilities. It was possible to implement these achievements of scientists and engineers only with the advent of the 21st century.

In 2008, the Japanese company Cyberdyne introduced the HAL robotic suit, which was designed to help people with disabilities and paralyzed people. The ReWalk exoskeleton of the Israeli company ReWalk Robotics, the New Zealand REX exoskeleton of the REX P company, and the American development of Ekso Bionics of the Ekso Bionics GT company were also among the first to be created.

Robot with anatomical parameterization

What are modern exoskeletons? The term "exoskeleton" comes from the Greek. exo - external and skeletos - skeleton, i.e. this term can be translated as "external skeleton". Due to the fact that this design is equipped with many electronic devices, exoskeletons are sometimes called wearable robots.

Without going into technical details, an exoskeleton can be described as an external frame that is fixed on the human body and allows him to move by increasing muscle strength and expanding the range of motion. In some cases, an exoskeleton can completely take over a person’s motor functions, imitating natural movements when walking, getting up from a sitting position and back, etc.

The exoskeleton follows biomechanics human body, proportionally increasing the efforts during the movements of its various parts. The optimal operation of the human/exoskeleton biomechanical system is based on determining the correspondence between various anatomical and physiological features of the human body and the parameters of the mechanical device - the external frame of the exoskeleton. These correspondences between the human body and the exoskeleton are called anatomical parameterization. The more accurately and subtly the anatomical parameterization, in other words, the fit of the exoskeleton’s structural elements to the human body, the more functional and convenient it will be to use.

The exoskeleton is controlled using a joystick, buttons mounted on the body or crutches, or wirelessly via a smartphone, tablet or computer. Depending on the technical capabilities And software the exoskeleton can execute commands “stand up”, “sit down”, “walk”, “stand”, “turn around”, etc. Those. Current models of exoskeletons are most often controlled by movement algorithms pre-programmed into the program, and the user only monitors the given commands and, if necessary, corrects movements using controllers.

Designers and developers of exoskeletons are already working today to fundamentally change the control of the exoskeleton and move from movement algorithms pre-programmed into the program to executing user commands given to them by the power of thought. Those. the movements of the exoskeleton will be performed in the same way as it happens in ordinary person: a command is sent from the brain to the muscles and various movements occur in the human body, incl. movement in space. But the movements will be performed not by muscles, but by the exoskeleton. This opportunity arose with the advent of brain-computer interfaces. Many research centers are now engaged in the development of neural interfaces and their implementation in the design of exoskeletons, incl. and in Russia.

Currently, medical exoskeletons are manufactured in many countries around the world, but most often these are amateur developments or prototypes that do not go into mass production. Full-scale production of exoskeletons used in the rehabilitation of people with disabilities or in everyday life is in countries such as Japan, the USA, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, China.

There are currently enough produced a large number of medical exoskeletons, but not all of them have been found wide application in rehabilitation practice and only a few are intended for use in living conditions. Let's look at the most popular models modern exoskeletons.

REX Bionics was one of the first in the world to produce exoskeletons for people with disabilities. The REX exoskeleton is one of the few models that can be used in domestic conditions.

The REX P model is intended for rehabilitation and home use. You can also use it to move outside the home, but this is quite problematic due to the significant dimensions of the device. Designed for users with musculoskeletal disorders, incl. and with high spinal cord lesions in the cervical region.

Allows you to walk forward and backward, turn around, sit and stand, stand on one leg, walk up stairs and on inclined planes. The high-capacity removable battery allows you to use the exoskeleton all day. When the user does not move, battery power is not wasted. Controlled using a joystick and control buttons. Quite simple and easy to use. Put on for 5-10 minutes.

Weight - 38 kg. Designed for users with heights from 1 m 42 cm to 1 m 93 cm and body weight up to 100 kg.

Price - from 8 million rubles.

Produced by the American company Ekso Bionics, which develops and produces intelligent exoskeletons for various purposes, incl. and medical. Newest model exoskeleton from Ekso Bionics was presented at CeBIT-2017 in Hannover.

Ekso Bionics is used for the rehabilitation of patients with diseases and injuries of the spinal cord, lesions musculoskeletal system, neuromuscular diseases. The design allows you to keep the patient's body in an upright position, so he works only with his own weight. Equipped with a stabilization and support system for the ankle joint. Adjusts the angle of flexion of the hip and knee joints, choosing the most optimal one.

It has quite compact dimensions: 1.6 m × 0.5 m × 0.4 m. Weight - 21.4 kg. Designed for patients with a body weight of up to 100 kg, a height of 1 m 60 cm to 1 m 90 cm and a hip width of up to 42 cm.

Price - from 7.5 million rubles.

One of the most advanced and sophisticated exoskeletons. Produced by the Israeli company ReWalk Robitics. The company's sixth exoskeleton model is currently being produced - ReWalk Personal 6.0, which is much less bulky and more compact than previous models. ReWalk exoskeletons are designed for rehabilitation and use in everyday life.

It is equipped with a pelvic support frame and ankle frames, has tilt sensors, is equipped with an intelligent control system and a wrist communicator, with the help of which the exoskeleton is controlled.

The weight of the ReWalk exoskeleton is 25 kg. Designed for patients weighing up to 80 kg. The battery can work without recharging for 3 hours, its charging time is 5-8 hours.

Price - from 3.5 million rubles.

The HAL exoskeleton is produced by the Japanese company Cyberdyne. It has two modifications: HAL 3 and HAL 5. Both modifications are used for the rehabilitation and recovery of patients with lesions of the spinal cord, musculoskeletal system, and neuromuscular diseases. HAL 3 is intended to restore the motor function of the lower extremities, HAL 5 - the upper and lower extremities and torso.

A distinctive feature of HAL exoskeletons is the presence feedback between the device and the human body. The servos of the HAL exoskeleton are driven by impulses received from human muscles. These impulses are detected by special sensors attached to the patient's skin. Impulses from the muscles are read by sensors and sent to the processor, which evaluates the level of load and drives the necessary servos of the exoskeleton. Thus, the brain relearns how to control the muscles of the torso, arms and legs.

The design of both modifications of the HAL exoskeleton is collapsible and allows them to be used for one or both limbs. HAL 3 can be used for one or two legs, HAL 5 - for one or two arms and legs.

The weight of the HAL 3 model is 10 kg. HAL 5 weighs 12 kg. Both of them are designed for patients weighing up to 80 kg. The power system ensures continuous operation of the device for a period of 1 to 1.5 hours.

The price of HAL exoskeletons is not indicated by the manufacturer, because they do not go on sale, but are leased to medical institutions for a period of 5 years.

This is a fairly new development by the American company Parker Hannifin Corporation, which appeared on the market last year. Indego is intended for use in rehabilitation and at home.

A characteristic feature of Indego is its modular design, which allows you to assemble and adjust all parts of the exoskeleton to a specific user directly when putting it on. The battery provides 4 hours of continuous operation.

The Indego exoskeleton allows you to stand up and sit down, walk forward, stand still and lean forward. But you won’t be able to climb up and down the stairs with its help. Indego controls and system status information can be displayed on a smartphone.

Indego weight - 12 kg. The design is designed for users with a height of 1 m 55 cm to 1 m 91 cm and a body weight of up to 113 kg.

Price - from 4.5 million rubles.

ExoAtlet

This is the only domestic model of exoskeleton today, which is mass-produced and is already supplied to medical institutions and rehabilitation centers Russia. ExoAtlet was developed at the Skolkovo innovation center.

ExoAtlet can be used both for rehabilitation and at home, as well as for the recovery of patients who have suffered a stroke. Its feature is the ability to make changes to the algorithm as the user uses and acquires certain skills. Those. ExoAtlet can be tailored to each specific user and his individual preferences in using the exoskeleton. An additional option is electrical stimulation of muscles using impulses synchronized with the movements of the exoskeleton.

The weight of the structure is 20 kg.

Price - from 1.5 million rubles.

If you are one of those who watched all the parts of “Iron Man” with great pleasure, you were probably delighted with the iron suit that Tony Stark put on before the battle with the villains. Agree, it would be nice to have such a suit. In addition to the ability 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 superhuman strength.

It probably won't surprise you that very soon a lighter version of the Iron Man suit will allow soldiers to run faster, carry heavy weapons and travel over rough terrain. At the same time, the suit will protect them from bullets and bombs. Military engineers and private companies have been working on exoskeletons since the 1960s, but only recent advances in electronics and materials science have brought us closer to realizing this idea than ever before.

In 2010, US defense contractor Raytheon demonstrated an experimental exoskeleton called XOS 2—essentially a robotic suit controlled by the human brain—that could lift two to three times more weight than a person, without any effort or outside help. Another company, Trek Aerospace, is developing an exoskeleton with a built-in jetpack that can fly at speeds of 112 km/h and hover motionless above the ground. These and a number of others promising companies, including behemoths like Lockheed Martin, are bringing the Iron Man suit closer to reality every year.

Read the 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 limit mobility will be able to move around with ease thanks to external frame suits. The first versions of exoskeletons, such as ReWalk from Argo Medical Technologies, have already entered the market and received widespread approval. However, at the moment, the field of exoskeletons is still in its infancy.

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

History of the development of exoskeletons

Warriors have been putting 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 cheap novels. The book "Steam Man of the Prairies" described a giant 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 Russian mechanical engineer Nikolai Yagn in the 1890s in America. The designer, known for his developments, lived overseas for more than 20 years and 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 “Stoker's Friend” - an automatic device that supplies water to steam boilers.

Exoskeleton patented by N. Yagn

By 1961, two years after Marvel Comics came up with Iron Man and Robert Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers, the Pentagon decided to make its own exosuits. He set out to create a "servo-soldier", which was described as a "human capsule equipped with steering and amplifiers" that allowed heavy objects to be moved quickly and easily, as well as protecting the wearer from bullets, poisonous gas, heat and radiation. By the mid-1960s, Cornell University engineer Neil Meisen had developed a 15.8-kilogram wearable framed exoskeleton, dubbed the “superman suit” or “human amplifier.” It allowed the user to lift 453 kilograms with each hand. At the same time, General Electric had developed a similar 5.5-meter device, the so-called “pedipulator,” which was controlled by an operator from the inside.

Despite these very interesting steps, they were not crowned with success. The suits proved 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 several more developments, but lack of materials and energy limitations have not allowed us to see real suit"Iron Man"

For years, exoskeleton manufacturers have been stymied by the limits of technology. The computers were too slow to process the commands that powered the suits. There wasn't enough power supply to make the exoskeleton portable enough, and the electromechanical actuator muscles that moved the limbs were simply too weak and bulky to function in a "human" way. Nevertheless, a start had been made. The idea of ​​an exoskeleton turned out to be too promising for the military and medical fields to simply part with it.

Man-machine

In the early 2000s, the quest to create a real Iron Man suit began to get somewhere.

Defense agency promising developments DARPA, the Pentagon's incubator for exotic and advanced technologies, 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 for days on end, maintain large guns, which usually require two operators, and will also be able to carry a wounded soldier, if necessary, from the battlefield. In this case, the car must be invulnerable to fire, and also jump high. Many immediately considered DARPA's plan impracticable.

But not all.

Sarcos - led by robot creator Steve Jacobsen, who previously created an 80-ton mechanical dinosaur - came up with innovation system, in which sensors used these signals to control a set of valves, which in turn regulated hydraulics under high pressure in the joints. The mechanical joints moved cylinders connected by cables that mimicked the tendons that connect human muscles. As a result, the experimental exoskeleton XOS was born, which made a person 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 excited the public so much that Time magazine included it in its Top 5 list of 2010.

Meanwhile, other companies, like Berkeley Bionics, were working to reduce the amount of energy that artificial prosthetics required so that the exoskeleton could function long enough to be practical. One project from the 2000s, the Human Load Carrier (HULC), could operate for up to 20 hours on a single charge. Progress was moving forward little by little.

Exoskeleton HAL

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

Development problems

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

Not long ago, one of the defense contractors, Lockheed Martin, introduced its exoskeleton designed for heavy lifting. The so-called “passive exoskeleton,” designed for shipyard workers, simply transfers the load to the exoskeleton’s legs on the ground.

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

If American industry continues to move along this path, it will very soon have vehicles that can not only move “faster, higher, stronger,” but also carry an additional several hundred payloads. However, it will be at least several more years before the real " iron men"will enter the battlefield.

As is often the case, developments by military agencies (think, for example, the Internet) can be of great benefit in Peaceful time, as technology will eventually come out and help people. 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 would allow a person to walk, sit, or simply stand for long periods of time.

One thing is certain: the process of rapid development of exoskeletons began 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.