Standard Test Method for Exoskeleton Use: Gait

Importancia y uso:

5.1 Exoskeletons are being used in the industrial/occupational, military, response, medical, and recreational sectors to enhance safety and effectiveness of the user to perform tasks. Gait is a component of many tasks that someone would do with an exoskeleton. For example, an exoskeleton may be used to help rehabilitate a patient who suffered a traumatic leg injury. In manufacturing, warehousing, military, and other similar environments, workers and soldiers in exoskeletons walk with and without carrying loads, many times over long distances, indoors or outdoors, as part of their daily activities. Fig. 1 shows examples of exoskeleton users walking, which, depending upon the task, may require people to traverse various ground surfaces while wearing an exoskeleton. The testing results of exoskeletons shall describe, in a statistically significant way, how reliably the exoskeleton is able to support tasks within the specified types of environments, confinements, and terrains, and thus provide sufficiently high levels of confidence to determine the applicability of the exoskeleton to a given task.

FIG. 1 Examples of Exoskeleton Users Walking in Various Sectors

Note 1: Examples include: (a) medical rehabilitation (courtesy Gogoa), (b) military material handling (courtesy Mawashi), (c) military soldiering (courtesy Mawashi), (d) recreational hiking through snow and (e) walking on pavement as part of daily work duties (courtesy Humotech), and (f) industrial worker standing up from a chair prior to walking (courtesy SuitX).

5.2 This test method addresses exoskeleton safety and performance requirements expressed by manufacturing, emergency responders, military, or other organizations requesting this test. The safety and performance data captured within this test method are indicative of the test exoskeleton’s and the exoskeleton user’s capabilities. Having available direct information from tested exoskeleton(s) with associated performance data to guide procurement and deployment decisions is essential for exoskeleton purchasers and users.

5.3 The standard test setup and apparatus (see Section 6) is specified to be easily fabricated to facilitate self-evaluation and replication of gait tests by exoskeleton designers, developers, manufacturers, and users. The standard test setup and apparatus can also be used to support training and establish proficiency of exoskeleton users, as well as provide manufacturers with information about the usefulness of their exoskeleton(s) for tasks.

5.4 Although the test method was developed for the sectors listed in 5.1, it may be applicable to other operational domains.

Subcomité:

F48.03

Referida por:

F3612-24, F3323-24, F3584-22, F3582-22, F3580-24, F3581-22, F3583-22

Volúmen:

15.13

Número ICS:

11.180.01 (Aids for disabled and handicapped persons in general), 25.040.30 (Industrial robots. Manipulators)

Palabras clave:

exoskeleton; exosuit; gait; industrial/occupational; medical; military; recreational; response;