BLEEX - for leg endurance

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March 13, 2004 Los Angeles Times Science File

Robotic Legs Aim to Take a Load Off

An invention out of UC Berkeley could boost endurance

From Associated Press

Move over Bionic Man and make room for BLEEX — the Berkeley Lower

Extremities Exoskeleton, with strap-on robotic legs designed to turn an

ordinary human into a super strider.

Intended to help people such as soldiers and firefighters carry heavy

loads for long distances, these boots are made for marching.

" The design of this exoskeleton really benefits from human intellect and

the strength of the machine, " said Homayoon Kazerooni, who directs the

Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory at UC Berkeley.

The exoskeleton consists of a pair of mechanical metal leg braces that

include a power unit and a backpack-like frame. The braces are attached

to a modified pair of Army boots and are also connected, although less

rigidly, to the user's legs.

More than 40 sensors and hydraulic mechanisms function like a human

nervous system, constantly calculating how to distribute the weight

being borne and create a minimal load for the wearer.

" There is no joystick, no keyboard, no push button to drive the device, "

said Kazerooni, a professor of mechanical engineering. " The pilot

becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton. "

In experiments, he said, testers have walked around in the 100-pound

exoskeleton plus a 70-pound backpack and felt as if they were carrying

just five pounds.

Eventually, the device could help rescuers haul heavy equipment up

high-rise buildings or turn tired troops into striding super soldiers.

BLEEX is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the

Pentagon's research and development arm, and was among the projects

being showcased at a DARPA technology symposium this week in Anaheim.