this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2024
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My aging engineer of a father had an idea for a great design that keep getting updated in my head. He said he would like some kind of passive exoskeleton strapped on his legs and pelvis. When sitting though, it would put some springs in tension that would then help him lift back up. I think it could also be designed to have a locked mode to "sit" comfortably against any straight wall/tree.
Nothing new, it's called a pelvis orthosis.
Interesting! But after a bit of research I find nothing of the sort: either they are device that prevents flexion up to a certain angle but do not help movement or they are active motor-aided designs. Would you have an additional keyword or a link?
You basically found it. They relieve pressure on the joints, in addition to locking certain angles that hurt. Springs would essentially do the same thing, but more dangerous.
Helping upward movement is the whole point of the contraption, but thanks, I'll probably buy some of these and strong springs to do some tests.
Springs are some of the most dangerous things in engineering, especially strong ones. There is a reason why you don't fuck with the garage door. Anything happens - the person falls over, a bicycle hits them, etc - and it's a tragedy waiting to happen
This is how engineers die:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.
Safety? What's that?
Considering that he also invented leaded gas and freon it's almost more like his bad inventions finally caught him personally
Not to discourage creativity, but I think there was a whole documentary about how bad an idea spring loaded exoskeletons are. Five Nights at Freddy's or something like that?
Post your progress and results on the community, I'm curious!
I wonder how much weight an effective design would add. It would probably need to be made out of some decent material, which would probably drive up the cost.
Aluminium would probably suffice, I doubt it would add more than a kilogram even if made of steel. You need an articulation that can hold let's say 150kg for an overweight person putting all their weight on one leg. It is not a crazy mechanical constraint. Bikes handle more with lightweight structure and more complex mechanisms.