For years, the only real-world exoskeletons known to men were the natural coverings of animals, such as crabs and beetles. These external protective structures offer a rigid frame to help these small creatures move their soft bodies around.
Besides, people have always been fascinated by the high-tech armor appearing in science-fiction movies. But who’d ever thought that these suits would slowly become a reality?
After testing numerous metallic solutions for years, human’s curious nature has finally found a way to offer more muscle power, protection, and endurance to our fragile bodies – in the form of powered exoskeleton suits.
While these exosuits don’t bestow superhuman powers, they positively people’s lives by assisting them in moving around freely and performing high-risk tasks with ease. Let’s dig deeper to understand these spectacular structures and how they work.
What are Exoskeletons?
Exoskeletons, or exosuits, are mechanical structures attached to a user’s entire body or specific parts, including the back, shoulder, waist, and thighs. Once connected, these frames sense the wearer’s motion and respond accordingly, substituting muscle power whenever required.
Depending on their usability, the frame is often made using rigid metal or special fabrics. Most workplace exoskeletons enhance the user’s muscle strength and endurance for lifting or holding heavy items, thus reducing strains and other bodily injuries. In addition, these wearable assistive devices contain a computer at the back that powers the motorized components for hours.
Apart from workplace exosuits, some exoskeletons support posture and weight distribution, enhancing limb movements for people with severe mobility issues. Hence, these structures open various opportunities for access, providing a better quality of life with greater independence.
Then there are soft exosuits that have replaced metal frames with flexible fabric and artificial muscles. These new exoskeletons resemble a wearable garment that aims to minimize fatigue and prevent damage to injury-prone body parts.
For its numerous benefits, there is one thing about exoskeletons that has always intrigued people; how do they work? The following part provides in-depth information on the technology used by exoskeletons.
How Does Exoskeleton Work?
Exoskeletons are categorized into mechanical and electrical exoskeletons based on their suit type and functioning. These categories largely determine what technology the exoskeleton leverages.
- Mechanical Exoskeleton
Mechanical exosuits incorporate an automatic pulley system to provide the needed support. The procedure takes weight from the specific areas of the wearer’s body, including arms, necks, backs, and shoulders, and directs it to the core and waist. This ensures an even distribution of energy, reducing strain and stress on the joints.
Besides, humans and machines work together in these exoskeletons to ensure every movement or motion feels natural, making the work less tiring. Furthermore, mechanical exoskeletons operate without a power source or electricity so that users can enjoy long work sessions.
- Electrical Exoskeleton
Electric exoskeletons are more complex and powerful than mechanical skeletons. These structures target more specific areas, such as hands and legs, to provide maximum strength and pressure when needed.
Partially or fully electric exoskeletons incorporate sensors, actuators, mechanical structures, algorithms, and control strategies for acquiring information and executing a motor function based on it.
Robotic exoskeletons involve direct interaction between humans and machines. This interaction is divided into physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) and cognitive human-robot interaction (cHRI). While pHRI combines forces between humans and machines, cHRI concerns how the user controls the structure.
In addition, the user-machine interaction involves the following three main modules.
- Sense: This module gathers data from the human operator and device sensors.
- Decision: This module interprets data from the sense module. Based on the information, the module organizes and prioritizes activities for the system.
- Execution: The execution module provides the required mechanical power to the system through motors, pneumatics, levers, or hydraulics.
These modules should work together to execute and accomplish the desired motor function.
Using bioelectric signals, exoskeletons based on the cHRI interaction acquire information from the human operator. These signals are of three types: electromyogram (EMG) analyzes and records physiologic properties of muscles; electroencephalogram (EEG) monitors brain waves; electrooculogram (EOG) monitors eye movements.
In contrast, pHRI-based exoskeletons acquire kinematic information, such as measuring the interaction forces between the system and the user’s limbs. The system assesses this information to determine the user’s performance in executing a task.
Benefits of Exoskeletons
Exoskeletons enhance the user’s abilities to perform numerous tasks, thus increasing efficiency and productivity. Moreover, these structures allow aging workers to undertake labor-intensive tasks with ease. This is the most significant advantage as it reduces workplace-related injuries, decreasing healthcare and disability costs.
Conclusion
As technology continues to evolve, these robotic structures will enhance even further, making them a real part of our lives in the future. Besides, these high-tech devices will shape how industries, such as healthcare and logistics, operate. Soon, professionals will be using exoskeletons for rehabbing car-crash victims to support a factory worker during his shift.
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