Springactive, Inc.

Ossur Iceland Ehf

Chase Wheeler

Matthew Aaron Holgate

Jeffrey A Ward

Dustin Vehon

A human motion assistance device has an upper torso harness and a preloaded leg strap arrangement affixed to the upper torso harness. The preloaded leg strap arrangement has an X-bracket connected to the upper torso harness. The preloaded leg strap arrangement further uses a plurality of blocks and a preloaded strap routed through the blocks and connected to the X-bracket. The preloaded leg strap arrangement further uses a knee pad with a split seam. The preloaded strap is under tension, even when the human motion assistance device is in a relaxed state. The preloading provides an immediate force which increases under a loaded state. The potential energy stored during the loaded state is released when transitioning from a standing position to a crouched, squatting, or seated position. The configuration allows for maximizing the energy storage without putting excess shoulder pressure on the user when standing.

Preloaded personal augmentation suit and method for assisted human motion

A human motion assistance device has upper back straps and is configured to attach to a user. A leg strap arrangement with lower back straps is configured to attach to the user. A differential assembly is connected between the upper back straps and lower back straps to reduce resistance of the upper torso harness and leg strap arrangement during gait. When crouching or lifting, the differential assembly transfers force to stretch and retract the upper torso harness and leg strap arrangement, which provides human motion assistance. The differential assembly can be implements as an x-bar, lever arm, pulley, gears, or tube. The leg strap arrangement has a knee pad adapted to cover a knee of the user. The knee pad opens along a segment. The upper torso harness has a shoulder strap and buckle. The leg strap arrangement is an elastic material.

Personal augmentation suit and method for assisted human motion with back differential assembly

A human assistance device has a rate gyro, first accelerometer, and second accelerometer disposed on a mobile body for sensing a physical state of the mobile body to provide a physical state measurement. The human assistance device can be a prosthetic, orthotic, and robotic device. An ATAN2 function is performed on an output of the first accelerometer and an output of the second accelerometer. An output of the rate gyro and an output of the ATAN2 function is filtered to provide a filtered physical state measurement. The filtered physical state measurement is applied to a reference function to generate a reference command to control a non-gait motion of an actuator in the human assistance device. The reference command controls the human assistance device, for example to provide a shifting foot position while seated, with a natural, biological motion, without an artificial or mechanical appearance.

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Mesa, AZ, United States of America

Chase Wheeler