Russian exoskeleton "ExoAtlet"
In 2007, the Ministry of Emergency Situations addressed the Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University. The rescue department needed a Russian unit to facilitate rescue operations — an exoskeleton. Special design for the human body, allowing to increase the capacity of the body several times. Thanks to the development of modern technology, this idea of the superman fiction has now found its real embodiment. This area has been actively developing in the West over the past years, and Russian engineers have decided not to stand aloof from these processes.
An exoskeleton is today called an external frame system designed to enhance a person’s muscular strength or a special lifting force. Robot-android. Originally, this designation was taken from biology, in which it meant the external skeleton in invertebrates. This technology in the future should eliminate the physical limitations of people, as well as various mechanisms.
Currently, the main sphere of use of exoskeletons is the development in the interests of the military. The main direction of work on exoskeletons is the development of a working prototype that could enhance the physical abilities of soldiers. In the future, similar functions can be used, for example, for diving to deep or flying into space, as well as in other rather complex situations. The second, equally common, example of the use of exoskeletons is assistance in the rehabilitation of patients with lesions of the musculoskeletal system. An example of such a device is the exoskeleton of the Honda Walking Assist Device. It is worth noting that Russian developers are also interested in this direction of development.
In addition to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, domestic developers were also supported by the Ministry of Education and Science (funding in the amount of 120 million rubles). In 2013, the first sample, weighing 50 kg and capable of withstanding the maximum load up to 200 kg, was presented at the 6 International Security Salon. At the same time, the development received a gold medal from the hands of Sergei Shoigu himself and the task of “finalizing” the device. Still, the first exoskeleton created in Russia turned out to be too cumbersome, and also with an unacceptable delay in reactions.
Like the Iron Man costume from a popular science fiction film, the Russian development “ExoAtlet” is able to endow a person with a set of superpowers. And although it is impossible to fly in such a suit, the developers believe that with its help "you can move mountains." According to Pavel Komarov, a researcher at the Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University, the weight, which is reinforced on the power structure above, goes through the hinge in the thigh and pelvis through the leg to the ground. In a static position, a person is completely relieved of the load; he does not feel the weight being held. The maximum load that this exoskeleton can withstand now is 200 kg. At the same time, holding such a weight, a person is unlikely to be able to move. However, the weight in 70 or even 100 kg with the help of this exoskeleton a person can carry even over very long distances.
LifeNews correspondents who visited the laboratory tried on "ExoAtlet" for themselves. With a total load in 50 kg, its severity is absolutely not felt by man. At the same time, in order to fully utilize this development, a person needs to learn how to cope with the force of inertia, and this is achieved through constant training. Mainly this suit was created for Russian rescuers, one of the initiators of its creation and the Ministry of Emergency Situations acts. At the same time, Russian scientists had a rather difficult task to create a durable and at the same time fairly lightweight suit.
It is necessary that EMERCOM employees could easily climb stairs in the area of man-made accidents or disasters, while spending less oxygen, explains one of the aspects of the use of "ExoAllet" Elena Pismennaya, who is a senior researcher at the Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University. The creators of the Russian exoskeleton believe that the possibilities of using this mechanism are almost unlimited.
Currently, the development team continues to work on improving its project, modifying the model in collaboration with future users and relevant departments. However, all this is a closed development, while the staff of the scientific research institute has a desire to release something for the open market. Therefore, in the near future, a new exoskeleton may appear in the medical version.
Almost in parallel, a number of team members had an idea in their head that went beyond the R & D framework - to commercialize their product. Of all the possible options for adapting the exoskeleton for its possible introduction to the wide market, the most breakthrough and profitable it seemed to them was the medical direction - the rehabilitation of patients. Ekaterina Bereziy, who led the project that had split off from the main team back in 2011, notes that the developers did not want to stop at the level of the drawings and drop the whole thing. A commercial structure was specially created, called ExoAtlet with the participation of specialists from Moscow State University and under a government contract from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has allocated 40 million rubles for the development of the exoskeleton, while the team that left to do business does not lose touch with their colleagues who work on defense orders.
In the field of medicine, especially in the field of rehabilitation of patients, exoskeletons are able to give a large number of opportunities to those people who are now moving with the help of a wheelchair. At the same time, they can solve several different functions at once: a wheelchair replacement product, a simulator for people with diseases of the musculoskeletal system in need of rehabilitation, and also an emotional and social rehabilitation product - because a person who is limited in his physical abilities gets a chance to start move independently. He gets rid of the need to constantly look at the people around him from the bottom up.
Currently, the objectives of the Russian project "ExoAtlet" is the development of the first in our country exoskeleton. The basis of this project consists of innovative developments made by the staff of the Research Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University and aimed at expanding the physical abilities of people. Currently, the project is developing in two directions: emergency rescue modification and medical exoskeleton.
The emergency rescue modification of the exoskeleton was designed to solve problems that are accompanied by the transfer of sufficiently heavy cargo over a long distance, it can also be used during anti-terrorist operations and demining the terrain. For the elimination of the effects of man-made disasters and natural disasters, analysis of the resulting debris, to carry out operations to extinguish fires in conditions of limited air reserves in the fire apparatus breathing apparatus. The medical version, which received the designation "ExoAtlet Honey", is being developed to assist people with disabilities. It can be used for both medical and social rehabilitation of patients suffering from disorders of the locomotor functions. Such an exoskeleton is ideal for the needs of therapy and rehabilitation of the profile contingent of rehabilitation centers and hospitals.
True, in this direction, the Russian company "ExoAtlet" is late for several years, preparing to present its medical development only in 2017 year. However, the most successful medical versions of exoskeletons have already reached the final consumer: from the leader of medical skeleton construction, the American company Ekso Bionics, and the Israeli Re Walk. In this case, the American prototype is similar to the Russian development, and the company itself has chosen a similar path of development, separated in due time from military developments. Not so long ago, Ekso Bionics managed to attract about 20 millions of dollars in investments in its project.
Currently, the Russian company “ExoAtlet” employs 20 people - designers, engineers, mathematicians, programmers, experts in the field of control theory and neural interfaces, marketers and managers. The company is well aware that this project can be included in the list of means of rehabilitation only with the support of the state. The developers of ExoAtlet Med expect that their product will be included in the official register of technical means of rehabilitation (today it includes wheelchairs, crutches that people with disabilities under special programs are able to get for free or at a substantial discount).
At the same time, the company hopes to receive government orders. In sum, the state spent 2011 million rubles for the development of a working model of the Russian exoskeleton for 2014-160 years. According to ExoAtlet representatives, the new prototype will be ready by the end of 2014. And already in the 2015 year, doctors, project partners, will be able to conduct pre-clinical trials of new products, and developers will begin to work on its refinement based on receiving recommendations from doctors. For the next stage of work on the project, which will approximately last for at least a year, developers need another 137 million rubles. It was decided to apply for the necessary amount to Russian officials.
Until the product is ready for mass production, it’s not worth pinning hopes on private venture funds - too much risk. Therefore, it is planned to attract private investors to the project only at the second stage of work. In serial production, the Russian exoskeleton will have to go to 2016-2017. When the working prototype is ready, it will finally become clear what the final product of the company is, how it can be realized and what are the prospects for the novelty to get into the register of technical means for the rehabilitation of disabled people. It is at this point that the product will finally become commercial, and under it you can search for private investors. Also, the developers expect to find a partner who will be ready to build a plant for them under the emerging market, Ekaterina Bereziy describes the next steps.
In fact, at the moment in Russia there is simply no market for such products, it has yet to be created. It also remains an open question whether Russian designers will succeed in bringing their brainchild to mind. The ExoAllette team has to solve many issues that are in related areas - synchronize the readout of the impulse and the reaction of the machine, solve the issue with increasing battery power, continue to reduce the volume and weight of their product, solve the issue of how to free the user's hands. In this case, this direction is gaining momentum in the world. According to experts, the European exoskeleton market alone is already estimated at 1,5 billion euros. The technologies that have emerged today can finally lead to a real breakthrough in the field of building exoskeletons, and Russia may have a chance not to fall behind its direct competitors in this race.
Information sources:
http://expert.ru/expert/2014/23/primerka-vneshnego-skeleta
http://www.exoatlet.ru
http://lifenews.ru/news/126090
http://robonovosti.ru/texnologii/1191-ekzoskelet.htm
An exoskeleton is today called an external frame system designed to enhance a person’s muscular strength or a special lifting force. Robot-android. Originally, this designation was taken from biology, in which it meant the external skeleton in invertebrates. This technology in the future should eliminate the physical limitations of people, as well as various mechanisms.
Currently, the main sphere of use of exoskeletons is the development in the interests of the military. The main direction of work on exoskeletons is the development of a working prototype that could enhance the physical abilities of soldiers. In the future, similar functions can be used, for example, for diving to deep or flying into space, as well as in other rather complex situations. The second, equally common, example of the use of exoskeletons is assistance in the rehabilitation of patients with lesions of the musculoskeletal system. An example of such a device is the exoskeleton of the Honda Walking Assist Device. It is worth noting that Russian developers are also interested in this direction of development.
In addition to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, domestic developers were also supported by the Ministry of Education and Science (funding in the amount of 120 million rubles). In 2013, the first sample, weighing 50 kg and capable of withstanding the maximum load up to 200 kg, was presented at the 6 International Security Salon. At the same time, the development received a gold medal from the hands of Sergei Shoigu himself and the task of “finalizing” the device. Still, the first exoskeleton created in Russia turned out to be too cumbersome, and also with an unacceptable delay in reactions.
Like the Iron Man costume from a popular science fiction film, the Russian development “ExoAtlet” is able to endow a person with a set of superpowers. And although it is impossible to fly in such a suit, the developers believe that with its help "you can move mountains." According to Pavel Komarov, a researcher at the Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University, the weight, which is reinforced on the power structure above, goes through the hinge in the thigh and pelvis through the leg to the ground. In a static position, a person is completely relieved of the load; he does not feel the weight being held. The maximum load that this exoskeleton can withstand now is 200 kg. At the same time, holding such a weight, a person is unlikely to be able to move. However, the weight in 70 or even 100 kg with the help of this exoskeleton a person can carry even over very long distances.
LifeNews correspondents who visited the laboratory tried on "ExoAtlet" for themselves. With a total load in 50 kg, its severity is absolutely not felt by man. At the same time, in order to fully utilize this development, a person needs to learn how to cope with the force of inertia, and this is achieved through constant training. Mainly this suit was created for Russian rescuers, one of the initiators of its creation and the Ministry of Emergency Situations acts. At the same time, Russian scientists had a rather difficult task to create a durable and at the same time fairly lightweight suit.
It is necessary that EMERCOM employees could easily climb stairs in the area of man-made accidents or disasters, while spending less oxygen, explains one of the aspects of the use of "ExoAllet" Elena Pismennaya, who is a senior researcher at the Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University. The creators of the Russian exoskeleton believe that the possibilities of using this mechanism are almost unlimited.
Currently, the development team continues to work on improving its project, modifying the model in collaboration with future users and relevant departments. However, all this is a closed development, while the staff of the scientific research institute has a desire to release something for the open market. Therefore, in the near future, a new exoskeleton may appear in the medical version.
Almost in parallel, a number of team members had an idea in their head that went beyond the R & D framework - to commercialize their product. Of all the possible options for adapting the exoskeleton for its possible introduction to the wide market, the most breakthrough and profitable it seemed to them was the medical direction - the rehabilitation of patients. Ekaterina Bereziy, who led the project that had split off from the main team back in 2011, notes that the developers did not want to stop at the level of the drawings and drop the whole thing. A commercial structure was specially created, called ExoAtlet with the participation of specialists from Moscow State University and under a government contract from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has allocated 40 million rubles for the development of the exoskeleton, while the team that left to do business does not lose touch with their colleagues who work on defense orders.
In the field of medicine, especially in the field of rehabilitation of patients, exoskeletons are able to give a large number of opportunities to those people who are now moving with the help of a wheelchair. At the same time, they can solve several different functions at once: a wheelchair replacement product, a simulator for people with diseases of the musculoskeletal system in need of rehabilitation, and also an emotional and social rehabilitation product - because a person who is limited in his physical abilities gets a chance to start move independently. He gets rid of the need to constantly look at the people around him from the bottom up.
Currently, the objectives of the Russian project "ExoAtlet" is the development of the first in our country exoskeleton. The basis of this project consists of innovative developments made by the staff of the Research Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University and aimed at expanding the physical abilities of people. Currently, the project is developing in two directions: emergency rescue modification and medical exoskeleton.
The emergency rescue modification of the exoskeleton was designed to solve problems that are accompanied by the transfer of sufficiently heavy cargo over a long distance, it can also be used during anti-terrorist operations and demining the terrain. For the elimination of the effects of man-made disasters and natural disasters, analysis of the resulting debris, to carry out operations to extinguish fires in conditions of limited air reserves in the fire apparatus breathing apparatus. The medical version, which received the designation "ExoAtlet Honey", is being developed to assist people with disabilities. It can be used for both medical and social rehabilitation of patients suffering from disorders of the locomotor functions. Such an exoskeleton is ideal for the needs of therapy and rehabilitation of the profile contingent of rehabilitation centers and hospitals.
True, in this direction, the Russian company "ExoAtlet" is late for several years, preparing to present its medical development only in 2017 year. However, the most successful medical versions of exoskeletons have already reached the final consumer: from the leader of medical skeleton construction, the American company Ekso Bionics, and the Israeli Re Walk. In this case, the American prototype is similar to the Russian development, and the company itself has chosen a similar path of development, separated in due time from military developments. Not so long ago, Ekso Bionics managed to attract about 20 millions of dollars in investments in its project.
Currently, the Russian company “ExoAtlet” employs 20 people - designers, engineers, mathematicians, programmers, experts in the field of control theory and neural interfaces, marketers and managers. The company is well aware that this project can be included in the list of means of rehabilitation only with the support of the state. The developers of ExoAtlet Med expect that their product will be included in the official register of technical means of rehabilitation (today it includes wheelchairs, crutches that people with disabilities under special programs are able to get for free or at a substantial discount).
At the same time, the company hopes to receive government orders. In sum, the state spent 2011 million rubles for the development of a working model of the Russian exoskeleton for 2014-160 years. According to ExoAtlet representatives, the new prototype will be ready by the end of 2014. And already in the 2015 year, doctors, project partners, will be able to conduct pre-clinical trials of new products, and developers will begin to work on its refinement based on receiving recommendations from doctors. For the next stage of work on the project, which will approximately last for at least a year, developers need another 137 million rubles. It was decided to apply for the necessary amount to Russian officials.
Until the product is ready for mass production, it’s not worth pinning hopes on private venture funds - too much risk. Therefore, it is planned to attract private investors to the project only at the second stage of work. In serial production, the Russian exoskeleton will have to go to 2016-2017. When the working prototype is ready, it will finally become clear what the final product of the company is, how it can be realized and what are the prospects for the novelty to get into the register of technical means for the rehabilitation of disabled people. It is at this point that the product will finally become commercial, and under it you can search for private investors. Also, the developers expect to find a partner who will be ready to build a plant for them under the emerging market, Ekaterina Bereziy describes the next steps.
In fact, at the moment in Russia there is simply no market for such products, it has yet to be created. It also remains an open question whether Russian designers will succeed in bringing their brainchild to mind. The ExoAllette team has to solve many issues that are in related areas - synchronize the readout of the impulse and the reaction of the machine, solve the issue with increasing battery power, continue to reduce the volume and weight of their product, solve the issue of how to free the user's hands. In this case, this direction is gaining momentum in the world. According to experts, the European exoskeleton market alone is already estimated at 1,5 billion euros. The technologies that have emerged today can finally lead to a real breakthrough in the field of building exoskeletons, and Russia may have a chance not to fall behind its direct competitors in this race.
Information sources:
http://expert.ru/expert/2014/23/primerka-vneshnego-skeleta
http://www.exoatlet.ru
http://lifenews.ru/news/126090
http://robonovosti.ru/texnologii/1191-ekzoskelet.htm
Information