# US 10,369,071 B2 · Exoskeleton suit with hand control to enable walking > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,369,071 B2 - Document ID: US10369071B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/309,422 - Filed: 2015-05-05 - Published: 2017-06-29 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-05-05 - Assignees: Genesis Robotics and Motion Technologies Canada, Ulc - Applicants: Genesis Robotics and Motion Technologies Canada, Ulc - Inventors: James Brent Klassen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369071B2 ## CPC - A61H 3/00: Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about (apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04 {; applying electrical currents by contact electrodes for stimulating motor muscles, e.g. walking assistance A61N1/36003}) - A61F 2/72: Bioelectric control, e.g. myoelectric - A61F 5/0102: {specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations} - B25J 3/04: involving servo mechanisms (servo-actuated heads B25J15/02) - B25J 9/0006: {Exoskeletons, i.e. resembling a human figure} - B25J 13/025: {comprising haptic means} - A61F 2002/5038: {Hinged joint, e.g. with transverse axle restricting the movement} - A61F 2002/6827: {Feedback system for providing user sensation, e.g. by force, contact or position} - A61F 2002/701: {operated by electrically controlled means, e.g. solenoids or torque motors} - A61F 2005/0155: {with actuating means} - A61H 2201/1207: with electric or magnetic drive - A61H 2201/1635: Hand or arm, e.g. handle - A61H 2201/164: Feet or leg, e.g. pedal - A61H 2201/5058: Sensors or detectors - A61H: PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY (electrotherapy, magnetotherapy, radiation therapy or ultrasound therapy A61N) - A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract An exoskeleton suit allows a user to control the legs using the arms. Preferably, there is two-way feedback/control between the legs and arms causing movement of leg joints to be proportional to movement of arm joints. Haptic forces and control forces on the joints may also be proportional. The relative magnitudes of the movements and forces may be adjustable. Rotary or angular actuators may be used. A twisting actuator is also provided using a pair of bending actuators mounted side by side to provide torsional displacement of frame members. The ability to support a portion of the user's weight on the hand grips is possible while simultaneously controlling the lower body movement by applying pitch, roll and yaw movements to that hand grip. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An exoskeleton suit comprising: hand grip members configured to receive a user's hands, the hand grip members configured to be moved by the user when the user's hands are received by the hand grip members; sensors configured to detect the movement of the hand grip members; foot receiving or foot emulating members; and actuators configured to move the foot receiving or foot emulating members according to the movement detected by the sensors configured to detect the movement of the hand grip members, further comprising control elements on the hand grip members; the exoskeleton suit configured to select which foot receiving or foot emulating member is moved according to the movement of which hand grip member according to signals from the control elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The exoskeleton suit of claim 1 in which the control elements also have a neutral setting, the exoskeleton suit being configured in the event of a control element being set to a neutral setting to allow a hand grip member to move freely. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The exoskeleton suit of claim 1 further comprising ground contact sensors on the foot receiving or foot emulating members, and feedback actuators on the hand grips connected to receive information from the ground contact sensors to give the user feedback as to which part of the foot receiving or foot emulating members is contacting the ground. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The exoskeleton suit of claim 3 in which the feedback given to the user by each feedback actuator has a signal strength depending on a respective ground contact pressure detected by one or more respective ground contact sensors. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The exoskeleton suit of claim 1 in which the actuators configured to move the foot receiving or foot emulating members are configured to move according to the movement detected by the sensors configured to detect the movement of the hand grip members with a relative magnitude of motion which is adjustable by the user. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The exoskeleton suit of claim 1 in which the actuators configured to move the foot receiving or foot emulating members are configured to move according to the movement detected by the sensors configured to detect the movement of the hand grip members with a relative magnitude of motion which is adjustable by the user; and the control elements are pressure sensitive and the relative magnitude is adjustable based on the pressure sensed by the control elements. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The exoskeleton suit of claim 1 further comprising sensors configured to detect movement of the foot receiving or foot emulating members, and actuators configured to move the hand grip members according to the movement detected by the sensors configured to detect movement of the foot receiving or foot emulating members. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The exoskeleton suit of claim 5 further comprising sensors configured to detect movement of the foot receiving or foot emulating members, and actuators configured to move the hand grip members according to the movement detected by the sensors configured to detect movement of the foot receiving or foot emulating members in which the actuators configured to move the hand grip members are configured to move according to the movement detected by the sensors configured to detect movement of the foot receiving or foot emulating members with the inverse of the relative magnitude of motion adjustable by the user. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The exoskeleton suit of claim 7 in which the actuators configured to move the hand grip members are connected in pairs with the actuators configured to move the foot receiving or foot emulating members; each actuator being associated with a force sensor detecting a force applied or received by the respective actuator; the actuators of each pair being configured to apply a force depending on the force detected by the force sensor of the other actuator of the pair to maintain a predetermined relative magnitude of forces for the pair. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The exoskeleton suit of claim 9 in which the predetermined relative magnitude of forces for each pair is adjustable by the user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The exoskeleton suit of claim 1 further comprising feedback actuators to provide feedback to upper body members and in which feedback from the feedback actuators is lower than or equal to the amount of force the user must input to the upper body members to overcome the haptic feedback force in the upper body members to generate opposing movement of lower body members. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The exoskeleton suit of claim 1 in which rotation of a shoulder joint controls the rotation of a knee joint.