Assistive exoskeletons are a bit like electric bikes – they do indeed give users a power boost, but part of that boost is needed just to move the extra weight along. Japanese researchers at Hiroshima University and Daiya Industry Co., however, have created a minimalist exoskeleton that does away with heavy batteries and motors. Instead, their Unplugged Powered Suit (UPS) harnesses the wearer's own weight.
The UPS consists of a pump located under the sole of the user's foot, an air hose that runs up the leg from that pump, and what's known as a Pneumatic Gel Muscle (PGM).
With each step that the wearer takes, their foot presses down on the pump. This pushes air up the hose to a hip belt, where it's relayed into the PGM. There, it temporarily causes a gel contained within the device to compress, causing the whole thing to contract and relax like a natural muscle.
See also at Aalborg University and Hiroshima University.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday December 03 2015, @03:31AM
Thanks. Seems it's time to refresh my symbola (manual) installation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford