Navy Tests Unpowered Exoskeleton

gurps_npc (621217) writes "CNN has a very interesting article about an unpowered exoskeleton system called Fortis. Unlike the more famous TALOS system, this exoskeleton uses zero electricity, so it does not need batteries or an extension cord. Power requirements have always been the problem with powered exoskeletons, as batteries are heavy. The system is made out of lightweight aluminum and heavy tools connect directly to it. The weight of the tools is supported by the exoskeleton, so your arms, back and legs don't have to carry it. You only need to use muscle to move the tool, not simply carry it. The exoskeleton does not make you stronger. Instead it effectively increases your stamina by relieving fatigue caused by carrying the heavy tool.

Comments

Re:I can vouch ...

[swb]

You should tell him you need a rest.

Balance

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds interesting, but I'd be concerned about keeping balance while carrying dangerous equipment; the body's micro-adjustments would surely be diluted by the external weight, sort of like being on stilts.

Re:Balance

[DocSavage64109]

There looks to be a pole sticking out the back that you could put weights on for balance purposes.

Re:Balance

[plopez]

Part of it looks like weight distribution and load balancing across the body. Weight lifter and back packers have learned long ago that managing heavy loads can be about distribution of the load and balancing (which is why I still think free weights are more effective as they rely on more muscles to control and balance the load). Then it looks like it might provide more leverage in some cases. Not a bad "low tech" approach.

Snipers love it

[Anonymous Coward]

A friend of mine worked as a mercenary in Bosnia and he is a sniper.
He said anyone carrying heavy equipment is a priority. Looks like you
put that thing on someone up on that hill already has a bullet chambered
with your name on it.

Re:Snipers love it

[GungaDan]

Do we count Fort Hood or not?

Re:Snipers love it

[jeffmeden]

This is meant to be used inside bases. How many Americans have been killed by snipers while inside their bases recently?

Even more specifically, it seems ideal for someone working in/on the hull of a Navy ship where heavy welding, cutting/grinding, and riveting equipment is common. They tend not to build navy ships in conflict areas, and it seems like a very impractical device for combat zone use unless the weight it was intended for was body armor, making the sniper point moot yet again.

Re:Snipers love it

[plopez]

Maintenance on armored vehicles and heavy, 6-by type, trucks also come to mind. Possibly some construction engineering work.

That's a pretty smart desing

[geekoid]

I like it. I would have loved to have something like that back when I hung drywall.

That counterbalance looks dangerous

[rolfwind]

I suppose this is for naval shipyards and the like?

That current counterbalance has got to go though. It's dangerous to both the wearer and people around him.

Re:That counterbalance looks dangerous

[idontgno]

Use non-depleted uranium, and the suit could be powered!

Re:I can vouch ...

[NotDrWho]

Speaking of which, you really should return that to John Holmes' casket.

Looks familiar...

[MaWeiTao]

Conceptually, it seems similar to the kinds of rigs the movie industry uses to support cameras. I'm a bit surprised they haven't done this sooner considering I don't see anything here that's particularly exotic.

Re:Looks familiar...

[Half-pint HAL]

The arm you see is already in use, and yes, it operates on the same principle as the steady-cam rig. Steadicam transfers all the weight to the hips which protects the operator's spine and to aid dexterity by reducing the load on the arm muscles, but the legs still have to carry the weight (most steadicam operators are shadowed by a colleague and as soon as the director shouts "cut", the colleague takes the camera off them and puts it down for them). The logical next step was to built a structure that transfers the weight to the ground without using the operators' legs. This has been an active field of research for as long as exoskeletons have been under research. The problem used to be resistance in the joints being too high (unless the joint was too weak to take the load), so they tried looking at low-power models rather than zero power, but they weren't happy with the results. Essentially, the idea was just waiting for manufacturing technology to reach the point where the required joints and bearings could be produced.

I'm curious as to whether this is a noisy or silent solution -- if it's quiet enough, expect to hear of Hollywood picking them up to keep their steadicam operators running longer between breaks....

Steadicam

[camperdave]

It's a glorified Steadicam mount. Like the 'smart guns' carried by Vasquez and Drake in the movie Aliens. A spring loaded linkage connects the load to a body harness, but with added linkages that can transfer the weight of the harness to the ground.

Re:Steadicam

[gurps_npc]

True. But the majority of inventions are modified versions of existing things with improvements.

The value of slight changes can be VERY significant.

Think of the first guy to ever rifle a long gun. Long guns had grooves before, they were just not consistent. Making those grooves consistent and using ammo that expanded just enough to catch them made a HUGE difference.

The linkage to transfer the weight to the ground is just such a huge improvement. They had to design it special so that it bore the weight, but still let your heels touch the ground.

Re:Steadicam

[Half-pint HAL]

A spring loaded linkage connects the load to a body harness, but with added linkages that can transfer the weight of the harness to the ground.

Nothing in the article says that the arm is innovative. The arm is a product that has been available for some time. The "added linkages that can transfer the weight of the harness to the ground" is the product. It's an idea that people have been trying for for decades, and now finally they can make the structure stable and usable. That's the news. Saying this is nothing new is like saying the moon landings were nothing new because people had already been up in space, and landing on the moon was just "adding a few maneouvers" to a normal spaceflight.

This is a brilliant idea

[bugs2squash]

it's not just the tools that are heavy. I find it tiring just holding myself in position all pretzled up under a sink to undo the trap/water feed/popup drain stopper paraphernalia. I could see somethign like this being wildly popular in the building trades

Speaking as ...

[PPH]

... someone who has been in trades like construction and logging:

the exoskeleton is able to support tools of up to 36 pounds

36 pounds? You kids need to get in shape. And stay off my lawn, lightweights!

Re:Speaking as ...

[jfengel]

Holding a 36 pound tool at arm's length is gonna tire even you out, grandpa.

Re:Speaking as ...

[plopez]

about 17 kilos

how does this work at all?

[goombah99]

How does this work. They show a guy with a grinder mvong it around on a wall up near his head. Now how did he get into that position and how is he able to move the grinder around. If all the joints are loose then they offer no support. If they are tight then he can't move. And if he selectively locks the myriad number of joind it will be a confusing puzzle to get the the right set locked to support weight along some axis but not others. Does this mean all grinding must be back and forth and not up and down? if you are grinding along a verical edge how do you avoid repeately lifting this.You would be lifting both the weight of the grinder and the weight of the fortis frame every time.

the frame looks heavy including a cantaleivered weight in the back. SO it seems like its adding a lot of weight. How does it manage to carry it's own weight as you move. Or are you repeately lifting this when you bend over or walk somewhere.?

very puzzling how this works

Re:This is more practical than battery-powered.

[tlhIngan]

I would like to see a locking hydraulics/pneumatics system in place, though. Since there is no power, using leverage is only going to get you so far until you tire. You will still tire wearing this, despite the design to make it easy(ish) to move around while wearing it and making it easier to move heavier loads.

Well, the goal is for jobs where you're not moving much (because it's worse to move the thing), but where you're carrying a heavy tool constantly. Perhaps you're using a heavy saw to cut into metal, and it can't be fixed because well, you're cutting through a bulkhead. But you can certainly offset the vast majority of the weight so instead of having to support and carry the saw while using it, the machine does it and the user is only having to expend effort on moving it.

Do it properly and a lot of vibration can be taken up by the system as well (which fatigues people much faster). It can result in an operation that takes 5-6 people many hours to do (because they can only hold the tool up for 15 minutes before they tire) to take less time (perhaps it takes 1-2 hours now) and less people.

And yeah, a locking system would be nice to hold it while switching personnel and all that.

Re:Can the operator walk?

[Half-pint HAL]

But can they hold it above their heads for a while, making relatively finely controlled movements?