| Abstract [eng] |
The purpose of the knee exoskeleton is to assist humans in physical work that requires leg muscle work, such as correctly lifting an object off the ground. The purpose of this study is to develop a knee exoskeleton. In order to produce this, it was decided to 3D print the exoskeleton of the knee, which means that the exoskeleton frame will be made of PETG plastic, since after research it was found that this plastic had the best ratio between durability and cost. A gas spring was chosen as the device that provides additional force to a person during squatting and standing, because the analysis revealed that there are no such electronic devices that correspond to speed, distance and force, only using a gas spring it was possible to give up the speed, and the other parameters coincided. The lower attachment of the gas spring will be in the slider in the guide, since only from an angle of 50 degrees the gas spring could do its work, in which case the exoskeleton will not interfere the person while walking. Electronic components have been selected such as a micro switch that will count the steps taken by the person, and a micro photoelectric sensor that will count the squats taken by the person, based on which it will be possible to decide when exactly the gas spring needs to be replaced, as “Suspa” manufacturers say that wear can occur between 10,000 and 100,000 thousand contractions and relaxations. Based on the measurements of steps, it will be possible to decide how many individual steps a person takes during work. A microcontroller that will be able to send signals to a computer via Wi-Fi and process them there will be used. The selected lithium power source will allow the electronic components to work non-stop for about 10 hours. In order to reduce the environmental pollution of PETG plastic, solutions have been proposed, such as the use of recycling options and printing methods, such as would allow reducing the amount of waste. After calculating the cost of the components, it was found that the amount will not exceed 300 euro. The sociality of the knee exoskeleton is such that it will be able to be worn in everyday life, like by a pensioner with weakened leg muscles. |
