Exosuit system

• US 9,403,272 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Inventors: Kornbluh, Roy David, Kernbaum, Alexander Steele, Low, Thomas, Witherspoon, Katherine Goss, McCoy, Brian Keith, Ziemba, Adam Arnold Edward, Birkmeyer, Paul Michael, Mahoney, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiswanto, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/673,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20150266181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/005 with embedded cable or connector
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/002 with controlled internal environment
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2400/38 Shaping the contour of the body or adjusting the figure
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0006 Exoskeletons, i.e. resembling a human figure
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/104 with cables, chains or ribbons
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1615 characterised by special kind of manipulator, e.g. planar, scara, gantry, cantilever, space, closed chain, passive/active joints and tendon driven manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1633 compliant, force, torque control, e.g. combined with position control
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 28/00 Electrically-actuated clutches arrangements for synchronisation F16D23/02; clutches actuated directly by means of an electromagnet F16D27/00; automatic clutches F16D43/00 - F16D45/00; external control F16D48/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36429 Power assisted positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39345 Active compliance control, control tension of spring with dc motor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40305 Exoskeleton, human robot interaction, extenders
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A flexible exosuit includes rigid and flexible elements configured to couple forces to a body of a wearer. Further, the flexible exosuit includes flexible linear actuators and clutched compliance elements to apply and/or modulate forces and/or compliances between segments of the body of the wearer. The flexible exosuit further includes electronic controllers, power sources and sensors. The flexible exosuit can be configured to apply forces to the body of the wearer to enable a variety of applications. In some examples, the flexible exosuit can be configured to augment the physical strength or endurance of the wearer. In some examples, the flexible exosuit can be configured to train the wearer to perform certain physical tasks. In some examples, the flexible exosuit can be configured to record physical activities of the wearer.

Claims

1. A platform for body augmentation, comprising:

a flexible suit configured to be worn over at least a portion of a human body;

a selection of electronically operable actuators coupled to the flexible suit, wherein the selection of electronically operable actuators comprises one or more flexible linear actuators and one or more clutched-compliance elements;

a selection of sensors disposed in the flexible suit and configured to provide information relating to the operation of the platform for body augmentation;

a control system disposed in the flexible suit, wherein the control system is configured to electronically operate the actuators using the information provided by the sensors in a plurality of different ways to provide a plurality of different modes of operation.

2. The platform for body augmentation of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different modes of operation relate to one or more of walking, running, jumping, lifting, load carrying, climbing, cycling, exercising, training, controlling a virtual avatar, and controlling a tele-robotic system.

3. The platform for body augmentation of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to execute any of a plurality of stored computer-readable programs, wherein execution of a stored computer-readable program by the control system comprises operating the actuators using the information provided by the sensors in accordance with the stored computer-readable program, and wherein each of the stored computer-readable programs defines at least one of the plurality of different modes of operation.

4. The platform for body augmentation of claim 3, wherein the control system is configured to determine a configuration of electronically operable actuators coupled to the flexible suit and sensors disposed in the flexible suit;

and wherein operating the actuators using the information provided by the sensors in accordance with the stored computer-readable program further comprises operating the actuators using the information provided by the sensors in accordance with the determined configuration of electronically operable actuators coupled to the flexible suit and sensors disposed in the flexible suit.

5. The platform for body augmentation of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more flexible linear actuators comprises a twisted string actuator.

6. The platform for body augmentation of claim 5, wherein the twisted string actuator comprises an electric motor coupled to a string element comprising a plurality of flexible strands.

7. The platform for body augmentation of claim 1, wherein each of the clutched-compliance elements includes a respective electrostatic clutch.

8. The platform for body augmentation of claim 7, wherein at least one of the respective electrostatic clutches comprises an electrolaminate clutch.