Variable force exoskeleton hip joint

An exoskeleton comprising:

• an upper body exoskeleton comprising an upper body link;
• a lower body exoskeleton comprising a lower body link;
• and
• a hip joint comprising:
• a first member rotatable about a hip joint rotation axis, the first member coupled to one of the lower body link or the upper body link;
• and
• a second member rotatable about the hip joint rotation axis, the second member coupled to the other of the lower body link or the upper body link;
• and
• an adjustable force mechanism coupled to at least one of the first member and the second member, the adjustable force mechanism comprising:
• an actuator coupled to the first member, the actuator comprising a motor configured to selectively apply an adjustable force to the second member to inhibit rotation of the upper body exoskeleton with respect to the lower body exoskeleton;
• and
• a controller in communication with the sensor, the controller configured to:
• receive a force signal from a sensor;
• determine, based on the force signal, a torque load associated with the hip joint;
• and
• operate the motor, in response to the determined torque load, to selectively apply the adjustable force to maintain the torque load within a predetermined range.

A method of operating a hip joint of an exoskeleton comprising:

• receiving, by a controller, a force signal from a sensor;
• determining, by the controller, a torque load associated with a hip joint of an exoskeleton based on the force signal, the hip joint comprising a first member configured to be coupled to one of a lower body link or an upper body link and a second member rotatable with respect to the first member, the second member configured to be coupled to the other of the lower body link or the upper body link;
• and
• operating a motor coupled to one of the first member or the second member to selectively apply an adjustable force to the other of the first member or the second member in response to the determined torque load to inhibit rotation of the first member with respect to the second member to maintain the torque load within a predetermined range.