September 28, 2010Raytheon XOS 2: second generation exoskeleton Image Gallery (45 images)

The widespread usage of exoskeletal robotics to augment human beings moved a step closer this week when Raytheon demonstrated its second generation Exoskeleton, the XOS 2. The new robotic suit (think of it as wearable robot guided by a human brain) is lighter, faster and stronger than the original proof-of-concept XOS 1, yet uses half the power. While Raytheon's development is primarily focused on military usage, exoskeletons for the mobility-impaired are already at market and industrial exoskeletons from Japan, Korea and Isreal are not far behind. One day in the not-too-distant future, one of these suits will enable us all to have superhuman strength, speed and endurance.

The XOS 2 enables its wearer to easily lift 200 pounds several hundred times without tiring and repeatedly punch through three inches of wood. Yet, the suit, which was developed for the U.S. Army, is also agile and graceful enough to let its wearer kick a soccer ball, punch a speed bag or climb stairs and ramps with ease.

The XOS 2 robotics suit is being designed to help with the many logistics challenges faced by the military both on and off the battlefield. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has long harboured a desire to extend the human capabilities of soldiers through wearable robot exoskeletons to create superhuman strength, speed and stamina.

DARPA funded exoskeleton developments

A decade ago, DARPA funded a US$50 million project known as "Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation" which spawned a number of exoskeleton projects. The scope of the program included the development of actively controlled exoskeletons that not only increased strength and speed, but enable larger weapons to be carried, provided a higher level of protection from enemy fire or chemical attack, allowed wearers to stay active longer and carry more food, ammunition etc.

One of the most promising of the projects which emanated from the DARPA funding was the Wearable Energetically Autonomous Robot (WEAR) from SARCOS Research Corporation.

In 2007, SARCOS was purchased by Raytheon and WEAR became the basis for the initial proof-of-concept Raytheon XOS 1.

Most of the original participants in the DARPA funding have now dropped away for one reason or another, leaving only two bipedal exoskeletons in contention for United States military usage: Raytheon's XOS series and Lockheed Martin's HULC which had its origins in the Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX) from UC Berkeley's Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory.

The technology was spun out into Berkeley Bionics which has now begun working with defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, culminating in the announcement of HULC in 2009.

Earlier this year it was announced that HULC was to be updated to run on fuel-cell power. So clearly the race is hotting up, because Berkeley Bionics is getting set to unveil a new web site in just over a week from now, and with nine months development work on fuel cell power, Lockheed Martin's HULC will not have the limitations of tethering to contend with.

The Springtail/XFV Exo-skeletor Flying Vehicle

One other noteworthy exoskeleton resulting from the DARPA funding was Millennium Jet's Solo Trek XFV (eXoskeletor Flying Vehicle) which promised vertical take-off and landing, a range of 125 miles, a cruising speed of 70 knots and the ability to hover dead still at any altitude up to a maximum of 8000 meters.

Delivery of a working unit for field testing by the US military was expected in late 2003 but it never quite met its schedules and has since morphed into the Springtail Exoskeleton Flying Vehicle, built by Trek Aerospace, which purchased the technology from Millenium Jet.

Clearly the advantages of the Springtail/XFV make it suitable for an array of potential non-military applications too, but the project is still a work-in-progress.

The Raytheon XOS 2 in detail

In a common manual labour task, such as lifting or carrying, Raytheon claims the XOS 2 suit would multiply the amount of work done by one person by between two and three times. Hence a human can do two or three times as much work, but with no extra effort – the robot is doing the heavy lifting, and is simply being directed by the human inside it. Given the high cost of human labour, and the potential for injury in such a physically stressful environment, the XOS 2 and similar powered exoskeleton devices are logical tools of industry.

Currently, the suit is tethered to its power supply, significantly limiting the potential for usage. Raytheon expects that the power consumption will need to reduce a further 60% from that of the XOS 2 for the suit to be viable in untethered form.

The XOS 2 is powered by an internal combustion engine and power to the “limbs” is by high-pressure hydraulics rather than electrics and high energy density lithium ion batteries because the production XOS will eventually see service on the battlefield and in the words of Dr. Fraser Smith, vice president of Operation for Raytheon Sarcos, "we believe they (lithium ion batteries ) are extremely dangerous. If one gets breached, it can explode and cause a fireball that's similar to a magnesium flare.”

Just when we're likely to see the EXO 2's successor in commercial readiness is a difficult question for Raytheon, as an exoskeleton has som many different potential uses, that it depends on the requirements of the user.

“If you think of an exoskeleton like a car, the combat variant needs to be built to handle rugged terrain, yet it has to still be agile and light, and it needs to operate on its own power. Think of a hybrid Land Rover”, said Smith.

“The logistics variant is about amplifying brute force and enhancing a soldier's ability to lift and carry. It's more like a hard-working Ford truck. These are two very different missions, and right now different people want the exoskeleton to do different things.”

“In the nearer term we see the exoskeleton working on logistics applications where it can be tethered to an external power supply. With a tethered power source, you could likely see it within five years. For a suit that operates on its own power, it's probably more like a decade away.”

Hence the XOS is unlikely to see combat for some time, as the first XOS variant is focussed on assisting to overcome logistics challenges faced by the military.

According to Raytheon, logistic and support military personnel have to lift up to 16,000 pounds over the course of a typical day. With increasing pressure to reduce costs, the XOS suit's ability to enable one man to do the work of three is likely to be very enticing.

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雷神XOS 2 - 第二代外骨骼

9月28日，2010Raytheon XOS 2：第二代exoskeleton

图片廊（45图像）

外骨骼机器人的广泛使用，以增加人类移动了一步，本周更近时，雷声公司展示了其第二代外骨骼，低聚木糖2.新的机器人套装（认为它是可穿戴式机器人由人脑的指导下）重量更轻，速度更快，比概念验证的原始XOS 1较强，但使用一半的电力。虽然雷神公司的发展主要集中于军事用途，外骨骼为行动不便已经在日本，韩国和伊斯雷尔市场与产业的外骨骼也不甘落后。有一天，在不太遥远的将来，这些诉讼之一，将使我们所有有超人的力量，速度和耐力。

的XOS 2使穿戴者能够轻松地举起200磅几百次无累并通过3英寸木材反复冲。然而，西装，这是为美国陆军开发的，也是敏捷，足够优雅，让佩戴者踢足球，打一个速度袋或爬楼梯和坡道自如。

的XOS 2机器人套装正在设计以帮助面临的军事和越野战场上的许多后勤挑战。美国国防部高级研究计划局（DARPA）一直怀有一个愿望，通过可穿戴式机器人外骨骼延长士兵的人的能力创造超人的力量，速度和耐力。

DARPA资助的外骨骼发展

十年前，DARPA资助美国$ 50个万种的“外骨骼的人的工作效率增强”，这催生了一批外骨骼项目的项目。该计划的范围包括主动控制外骨骼，不仅增加了力量和速度，而且使大型武器来进行开发，提供了保障，从敌人的火灾或化学攻击的更高层次，让配戴者保持活跃时间更长，携带更多粮食，弹药等。

其中最有希望从DARPA的资助所发出是可穿戴大力自主机器人（穿）从萨尔科研究公司。

2007年，萨尔科是由雷声公司购买并佩戴项目成为依据初始证明型的概念雷神XOS 1

原来的大部分参与者DARPA资金现在已经降到离开或那样的原因，只留下两人在争夺双足外骨骼的美国军事用途：雷神公司低聚木糖系列和洛克希德·马丁公司的HULC有它在伯克利下肢外骨骼（BLEEX）由加州大学伯克利分校的机器人和起源人体工程学实验室

技术纺出到伯克利仿生现已开始与国防承包商，洛克希德·马丁公司工作，最终在HULC在2009年

今年早些时候曾宣布，HULC是进行更新，以燃料电池动力运行的公告。所以很明显比赛正在升级，因为伯克利仿生是越来越设置为从现在推出一个新的网站，在短短一个多星期，并与燃料电池动力9个月开发工作，洛克希德·马丁公司的HULC不会有束缚来限制抗衡。

的跳虫

XFV外切骷髅飞行器

从DARPA的资助产生了千年Jet的独奏迷航XFV（eXoskeletor飞行器）的承诺垂直起飞和降落，航程125另外一个值得一提的外骨骼英里，70节的巡航速度仍然徘徊死在任何高度最高可达8000米的能力。

交付工作单位进行现场测试由美国军方预计在2003年底，但它从来没有完全满足它的时间表并从此演变为跳虫外骨骼飞行器，崔克航天修建，这从千年喷气购买的技术。

显然，跳虫

XFV的优势，使其适用于潜在的非军事用途的阵列也一样，但该项目仍然是一个工作正在进行中。

雷声XOS 2详细

在一个共同的手工劳动任务，如升降或搬运公司，雷神公司声称，XOS 2诉讼将被乘以工作由一个人完成的金额之间的两个和三次。因此，一个人可以做两或三倍的工作，但没有额外的努力 - 机器人在做繁重，并简单地被导演里面的人。鉴于人类劳动的成本高，在这样的物理压力的环境伤害的可能性，XOS 2和类似的动力服设备行业。逻辑工具

目前，该诉讼是拴在它的电源，显著限制潜在的用途。雷声期望功耗将需要从该低聚木糖2的减少进一步60％的西装是可行在不受限制的形式。

的低聚木糖2被搭载的内燃机和动力的“肢体”是通过高压液压系统，而不是电气和高能量密度锂离子电池由于生产低聚木糖最终会看到在战场上和弗雷泽·史密斯博士，操作雷神萨尔科副总裁的话说的服务，“我们认为，他们（锂锂离子电池），是非常危险的。如果一个人被突破，就可能发生爆炸并导致一个火球，它类似于一个镁耀斑。“

正当我们很可能会看到EXO 2的继任者在商业的准备是一个很难回答的雷神作为一个外骨骼具有索姆许多不同的潜在用途，它依赖于用户的要求。

“如果你认为像汽车的外骨骼，战斗变种需要建设处理崎岖的地形，但它必须依然是轻巧灵便，它需要对自身实力进行操作。想想一个混合路虎“，Smith说。

”物流变种约为放大蛮力和提高士兵的解除和实施能力。它更像是一个努力工作的福特车。这是两个非常不同的任务，而现在不同的人想要的外骨骼做不同的事情。“

”在较近期我们看到了外骨骼工作物流应用中，它可以被拴在外部电源。随着栓系电源，你可以容易看到它在五年之内。对于西装的工作在自己的权力，它可能更像是一个10年时间。“

因此，XOS是不太可能看到作战一段时间，作为第一低聚木糖变体集中在协助，以克服所面临的军事后勤挑战.

据雷神公司，后勤和支援军事人员不得不抬起来16000磅在一个典型的一天的课程。随着降低成本的压力，低聚木糖衣服的能力，使一个人做三的工作很可能是非常诱人的。

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