Selective restriction of skeletal joint motion

A wireless wearable device, comprising a flexible wearable base configured to be worn at a location of a skeletal joint;

• an electrostatic clutch mounted to the flexible wearable base on a first side of the skeletal joint, the electrostatic clutch comprising
• a first electrode comprising two or more first electrode sheets, and
• a second electrode comprising two or more second electrode sheets arranged with the two or more first electrode sheets in a stacked arrangement;
• a flexible structure coupled to the electrostatic clutch, the structure extending across the skeletal joint and coupled to the flexible wearable base on a second side of the skeletal joint;
• a battery;
• and
• control circuitry configured to form a boosted voltage from an output of the battery, generate a control waveform to controllably apply charge to the first electrode and the second electrode, and amplify the control waveform via the boosted voltage to form a control signal.

On a computing device, a method comprising:

• receiving information regarding controlling an electrostatic clutch of a wireless wearable device;
• forming, via control circuitry residing on the wearable device, a boosted voltage from an output of a battery residing on the wireless wearable device;
• generating, via the control circuitry, a control waveform;
• amplifying the control waveform via the boosted voltage to form a control signal;
• and
• outputting the control signal to the electrostatic clutch to change an electrostatic force between two or more sheets of a first electrode and two or more sheets of a second electrode within the electrostatic clutch.