Exoskeleton for Soldier

Performance Enhancement
(ESPE)

A Team project by
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Army Research Laboratory
AeroVironment, Inc.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
University of Minnesota
Millenium Cell, Inc.

for the DARPA Exoskeleton for Human Performance

Augmentation (EHPA) Program

Kick-off Meeting
Fort Benning, GA
January 24-26, 2001
 ESPE: Exoskeleton for Soldier
Performance Enhancement

• Objective: Enhance the load carrying capability, mobility

and endurance of the dismounted soldier for a wide range
of missions
• Goals:
• Phase 1 - Design, develop and test enabling technologies (FY02)
• Integrated Fuel Cell-based fuel transformer/power supply/storage/transient
handler
• High bandwidth,piezo stack-based hydraulic actuators
• Haptic interfaces at limb extremities for robust sensing and long-wear
comfort
• Cartesian force-force controls for accurate, stable and user transparent
strength amplification and load-carrying mobility enhancement
• Phase 2 - Design, develop and demonstrate powered lower limbs
exoskeleton for legged mobility enhancement (FY-04)
• Phase 3 - Design, develop and demonstrate complete upper
and lower limb exoskeleton (FY05)
 ESPE Team
Project POC: Dr. Francois Pin, (865) 574-6130, pin@ornl.gov

PI: Dr. Don Leo

PI: Dr. William Durfee

Soft tissue interfaces Piezoelectric-based Hydraulic
Orthotics and Prosthetics Actuators
Power Electronics
Human-Machine interface design

PI: Dr. Francois Pin

Sensors
Controls
PI: Philip Crowell Structure Design
System integration and testing
Human Factors Power distribution
PI: Dr. Paul McCready
Mission requirements and analysis
Soldier systems Integrated Power Supply
Bio-mechanics analysis and testing and Transient Handler
Field track experiments Fuel Transformer (with
Millenium Cell, Inc.)
 Safe and High-Efficiency
Power Supply-Actuation Chain
Fuel transformer -----> Fuel cell -----> Storage/transient handler -----> Actuation
Chemical H2 Generator Air Electrical
Distributed
H2 Power
Catalytic PEM Power Piezo-based
Reactor Fuel Cell Processing Hydraulic
Pump Pump +
Actuator
Waste Tank Power Feedback
NaBO2 (aq) + H2O NaBH4(aq) + H2O
Assemblies
Loop
Recycled H2O Battery or
Computers
Excess H2O Supercapacitor
Transported Devices
Hybrid PEM Fuel cell/Super-Capacitors
– Stealthy: silent, low temperature, low signature, low-detectable by-products
– Controlled energy production, storage and handling of large power demand transients
– Also powers computers, controls, and soldier’s potential accessory equipment and devices
Fuel Transformer: Sodium Borohydride ----> H2 (Millenium Cell, Inc. patented Process)
– Safe, non-toxic supply fuel
– No explosive, volatile, or hazardous fuels transported (in tanks or pressurized containers)
– Energetic fuel (H2) generated only on demand and in a controlled manner
Piezo-based, sealed hydraulic pumps and actuators assemblies
– Electrically driven with response bandwidth advantage of hydraulic actuation
– Better efficiency than conventional hydraulic pumps/servo valves
– Clean, sealed, distributed pump+ actuator assemblies. No hydraulic lines.
– Hydrostatic control capability for efficiency
Mechanical Structure and Controls
Suited for Soldier-Machine Synergy

User-reconfiguring structure and associated controls for

highest efficiency over wide range of missions
– From long range, endurance-type marches
with large pack loads (e.g., 24 hrs, 300 lb.)
– To swift, highly energy-consuming interventions
in urban environments (e.g., MOUT, rapid
assault, run up stairs, hand-carry large loads)
requiring full agility
Cartesian force-force control from sensing at limb end-points
– Minimizes sensing requirements
– Minimizes contact with soft and deforming tissues
– Minimizes need for attachment points (as opposed
to joint-per-joint position sensing and control)
Interface with human soft tissues at “natural”
attachment points
– Foot/boot, waist, shoulder strap, wrist area
– Improves comfort, endurance, acceptability
– Quick disconnect
Embedded safety features
– Anticipation-based Fault detection
– Multi-level human-amplifier safety features
demonstrated on the NGMH -->
 ESPE Program Schedule
Summary
Phase 1 (24 months) Phase 2 (24 months) Phase 3 (12months)
Task Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20
1.0 Power supply/transient handler
Mission power profiles M1.1 Transition
Component verification D1.1M1.2
Proof of concept system M1.3 D1.2
Final system design, fab. & assembly M1.4

Transition
2.0 Actuator development
Piezo-based actuator test system M2.1 M2.2 M2.3D2.6
Integration/demo with power system M2.4
Design, fab, test lower limb actuators M2.5
Design, fab., test upper limb actuators M2.6

3.0. Sensing and controls

Design, fab, test F/T sensorss M3.1 M3.2D3.1
Design, test inner-loop controls M3.4D3.2
Design outer loop control M3.5

4.0. Human factors and soft tissue interf.

Design soft tissue interface D4.1
Integrate test sensor M4.1
Fab, test haptic interface M4.2 D4.2
Design, fab. & test lower limb interfaces M4.3
Design, fab., test upper limb interfaces M4.4

5.0. Lower limb exoskeleton

Design integrated C+S+H structure
Transition
Final integrated design M5.1
Fab., assemble, controls implementation M5.2
Engineering tests M53 D5.1

6.0. Upper and lower limb exoskeleton

Design upper limbs and torso connect. Transition
Fab., assembly, controls implementation M6.1
Engineering tests M6.2
Lower limb field tests, user evaluation D6.1
Full exo field test & user evaluation M6.3
 ESPE goals:
Demonstration Tasks
3 Target demonstration tasks, representative of
multiple augmentation capabilities during typical
dismounted soldier missions:
Locomotion endurance, pack load carrying, marching
mission: Exoskeleton-wearing soldiers carrying 250-lb back
pack load perform 24 hrs long marching missions at the same
or greater averaged speed as non-exo-wearing soldiers
carrying 50-lb.
Manipulative strength: Exoskeleton-wearing soldiers lift and
manipulate twice the hand-held payloads (weapons,
munitions, shells, etc.) than non-exo-wearing soldiers.
Speed, agility, with distributed loads: Exoskeleton-wearing
soldiers perform the ARL Mobility-Portability course with twice
the on-body-distributed loads (weapons, body armor, ammo,
etc.) at same or greater speed than non-exo-wearing soldiers.