Power assist suit utilizing bellows actuators

Wearable power assist suit which utilized pneumatic bellows actuators is developed. The suit is able to work at low air pressure and is to be slim and lightweight. In addition, the waist unit of this suit has a waist joint and hip joints which are assisted by the actuators independently. The obstruction of walking is canceled by this construction and the suit become able to assist walking. Further, the wearer of this suit is possible to assist patient's transfer from a low-floor bed. In order to assist the knee joints, the newly developed pneumatic actuator is used to lift up the hip. This pneumatic actuator consists with bellows inserted in cylinders that slide with each other, so this actuator has the large ratio of maximum length to minimum length. The wearer of this suit is possible to transfer the patient on a low-floor bed. Practical utility of the newly developed power assist suit as an assisting equipment was proved experimentally.