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A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, exoframe, or exosuit, is a mobile machine consisting primarily of an outer framework (akin to an insect's exoskeleton) worn by a person, and powered by a system of motors, hydraulics or Pneumatics that delivers at least part of the energy for limb movement. The main function of a powered exoskeleton is to assist the wearer by boosting their strength and endurance. They are commonly designed for military use, to help soldiers carry heavy loads both in and out of combat. In civilian areas, similar exoskeletons could be used to help firefighters and other rescue workers survive dangerous environments. The medical field is another prime area for exoskeleton technology, where it can be used for enhanced precision during surgery, or as an assist to allow nurses to move heavy patients. Working prototypes of powered exoskeletons, including XOS〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Raytheon unveils lighter, faster, stronger second generation exoskeleton robotic suit )〕 by Sarcos, and HULC〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=404 · Lockheed Martin )〕 by Lockheed Martin (both meant for military use), have been constructed but have not yet been deployed in the field. Several companies have also created exosuits for medical use,〔(Exoskeleton Suits for Wheelchair Users )〕 including the HAL 5 by Cyberdyne Inc. An electric powered leg exoskeleton developed at MIT reduces the metabolic energy used when walking and carrying a load. The exoskeleton augments human walking by providing mechanical power to the ankle joints. Ekso Bionics is currently developing and manufacturing intelligently powered exoskeleton bionic devices that can be strapped on as wearable robots to enhance the strength, mobility, and endurance of soldiers and paraplegics. Various problems remain to be solved, the most daunting being the creation of a compact power supply powerful enough to allow an exoskeleton to operate for extended periods without being plugged into external power.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Building the Real Iron Man )〕 == History == The earliest exoskeleton-like device was a set of walking, jumping and running assisted apparatus developed in 1890 by a Russian named Nicholas Yagn. As a unit, the apparatus used compressed gas bags to store energy that would assist with movements, although it was passive in operation and required human power.〔Yagin, Nicholas. "Apparatus for Facilitating Walking". US patent 440684 filed February 11, 1890 and issued November 18, 1890.〕 In 1917, US inventor Leslie C. Kelley developed what he called a pedomotor, which operated on steam power with artificial ligaments acting in parallel to the wearers movements.〔Kelley, C. Leslie. "Pedomotor". US Patent 1308675 filed April 24, 1917 and issued July 1, 1919.〕 With the pedomotor, energy could be generated apart from the user. The first true exoskeleton in the sense of being a mobile machine integrated with human movements was co-developed by General Electric and the United States military in the 1960s. The suit was named Hardiman, and made lifting feel like lifting . Powered by hydraulics and electricity, the suit allowed the wearer to amplify their strength by a factor of 25, so that lifting 25 pounds was as easy as lifting one pound without the suit. A feature dubbed force feedback enabled the wearer to feel the forces and objects being manipulated. While the general idea sounded somewhat promising, the actual Hardiman had major limitations.〔Specialty Materials Handling Products Operation General Electric Company,"Final Report On Hardiman Prototype For Machine Augmentation Of Human Strength And Endurance," 30 August 1971.〕 It was impractical due to its weight. Another issue was the fact it is a slave-master system, where the operator is in a master suit which is in turn inside the slave suit which responds to the master and takes care of the work load. This multiple physical layer type of operation may work fine, but takes longer than a single physical layer. When the goal is physical enhancement, response time matters. Its slow walking speed of 2.5 ft/s further limited practical uses. The project was not successful. Any attempt to use the full exoskeleton resulted in a violent uncontrolled motion, and as a result it was never tested with a human inside. Further research concentrated on one arm. Although it could lift its specified load of 750 pounds (340 kg), it weighed three quarters of a ton, just over twice the liftable load. Without getting all the components to work together the practical uses for the Hardiman project were limited. Los Alamos Laboratories worked on an exoskeleton project in the 1960s called Project Pitman. In 1986, an exoskeleton prototype called the LIFESUIT was created by Monty Reed, a US Army Ranger who had broken his back in a parachute accident.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=They Shall Walk )〕 While recovering in the hospital, he read Robert Heinlein's ''Starship Troopers'' and from Heinlein's description of Mobile Infantry Power Suits, he designed the LIFESUIT, and wrote letters to the military about his plans for the LIFESUIT. In 2001 LIFESUIT One (LSI) was built. In 2003 LS6 was able to record and play back a human gait. In 2005 LS12 was worn in a foot race known as the Saint Patrick's' Day Dash in Seattle, Washington. Monty Reed and LIFESUIT XII set the Land Speed Distance Record for walking in robot suits. LS12 completed the 3-mile race in 90 minutes. The current LIFESUIT prototype 14 can walk one mile on a full charge and lift for the wearer. In January 2007, ''Newsweek'' magazine reported that the Pentagon had granted development funds to The University of Texas at Dallas' nanotechnologist Ray Baughman to develop military-grade artificial electroactive polymers. These electrically contractive fibers are intended to increase the strength-to-weight ratio of movement systems in military powered armor. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Powered exoskeleton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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