Low-Volume Inflatable Actuator Composite for Untethered Exoskeletons
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic soft robots are typically tethered due to high energy costs and the lack of portable pneumatic sources capable of providing high pressures and air flow rates, limiting their application in untethered scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A low-volume inflatable actuator composite (IAC) integrated with a portable pneumatic source, comprising a pneumatic compressor, electric motor, and inflatable fabric, which adjusts the angle of paddles based on human gait patterns to assist movement, reducing energy costs and enabling untethered operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If pneumatic soft robots use tethered pneumatic sources, then high pressure and air flow rates can be provided, but portability and energy autonomy are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the pneumatic power source into modular components: a portable compressor unit with battery power, air storage tanks, and distribution manifolds. This segmentation allows the system to provide high pressure and flow rates locally at multiple actuator sites while maintaining overall portability and untethered operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-compresses air into storage tanks before actuation is needed. This preliminary compression stores energy in a compact form, allowing the actuators to receive high-pressure air on demand without requiring a continuously running compressor or tethered air supply, thereby enabling portable untethered operation.
2Use of energy by moving object
If wearable robots assist human motion, then energy consumption of human is reduced, but system weight and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses pneumatic actuators that convert compressed air directly into mechanical motion, providing high force output with simple actuator design. This pneumatic approach reduces the complexity compared to electric motors while maintaining the ability to assist human motion effectively, and the portable compressor is more compact than traditional hydraulic systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts air pressure and flow parameters to match the user's motion requirements in real-time. By optimizing these parameters, the system provides sufficient assistive force only when needed, reducing overall energy consumption and allowing for a more compact, lighter system design that doesn't need to account for maximum theoretical loads continuously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system reduces energy consumption and enhances portability, allowing the inflatable actuator to assist human motion by providing assistive forces for movements like knee extension, thus overcoming limitations of existing pneumatic systems.
Implementation Method 1
The pneumatic compressor is configured to move the compressed air into the inflatable fabric to adjust an angle of the first paddle with respect to the second paddle
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for a wearable exoskeleton include an inflatable actuator with a reduced operation volume for faster operation. The inflatable actuator may include a first paddle connectable to the human body, a second paddle connectable to the human body, and an inflatable fabric coupled between the first paddle and the second paddle. In response to the inflatable fabric being filled with compressed air, the rigidity of the inflatable fabric increases, causing the angle between the first paddle and the second paddle to change to provide an assistive force for a movement of the human body. A portable pneumatic source is provided for quickly supplying a compressed air to the inflatable actuator. The portable pneumatic source may include a double acting piston and a cylinder defining a first chamber and a second chamber, and a valve assembly, for compressing air at both the upstroke and downstroke of the piston.