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MachineDesign Talks the Bleex Exoskeleton |
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Written by William Cox
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Saturday, 24 December 2005 |
 MachineDesign has an article on DARPA's foray into the world of exoskeletons, specifically the Bleex exoskeleton's created at Berkeley. DARPA has invested over $50 million dollars in exoskeleton research. One of the more successful groups working on them is at Berkeley. Their suite, called the Bleex 1, which is short for Berkeley lower extremity exoskeleton, is powered by a small engine and has over 40 sensors.
A pair of plastic and carbon-fibre leg braces are fitted to the wearers legs and allows them to carry a 220lb load (on the newer, Bleex 2 system) without feeling hardly anything at all. The Bleex operates completely autonomously and allows the wearer to walk freely. The Berkely Robotics Lab's website has several videos of the suite in action (sizeable files).
Each leg has five electronic modules connected in a high-speed synchronous
ring network or LAN. Each module is connected to nearby sensors and actuators,
and all modules talk to each other, as well a controlling computer.
The newever version of the system, Bleex 2, is supposed to be revealed soon. It extends the rage of operation, allows greater lifting power, is lighter, and allows the wearer to move much faster.
MechWarrior, here we come.
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