Effect on Jumping Height by Changing Jumping Powered Exoskeleton Attachment Position for Augmentation of Human Instantaneous Movements

This paper reports the construction of a robot model based on the human jumping mechanism and a powered exoskeleton, and simulation results on the effect of the powered exoskeleton on the jumping height. The objective of this study was to develop a powered exoskeleton that can follow human movements and significantly augment instantaneous movements. This paper describes the effect of the attachment position of the exoskeleton on human jumping height, which has not been clarified before, through the analysis of experiments using a jumping robot. Clarifying this effect is significant in that it will facilitate the development of jumping powered exoskeletons. Related studies include jumping exoskeletons using motors and artificial muscles. However, these exoskeletons have not been able to significantly augment the jumping height, and exoskeletons capable of significantly augmenting instantaneous movements have not yet been developed. This paper describes a comparison of the enhancement of the jumping height by different attachment methods when the exoskeleton is attached to a jumping robot in parallel or in series. It was estimated that the jump height was 1.06 and 1.18 times higher with the exoskeleton attached than without it, in parallel and in series, respectively. This confirms that the powered exoskeleton is expected to be significant, especially in the serial attachment, and that an enhanced jumping height can be expected. These results have the potential to significantly accelerate the development of powered exoskeletons that augment jumping motion by clarifying the effect of the exoskeleton’s attachment method on the jumping height.