Wearables

  • 05.20.08
    Compass on Wrist 2

    Suunto compass re attached to a custom leather strap.
  • 04.08.08
  • 03.12.08
    Soft Pneumatic Exoskeleton : Ankle Support

    The ankle support is a low profile sleeve around the foot and a strap at the heel to connect to the air muscle. A shorter 12″ muscle connects the ankle support to the calf. The calf attachment is now constructed out of a single piece of leather with nylon reinforcement at the top to prevent […]
  • 03.12.08
    Air Muscle Connection

    The most common point of failure in all the test have been the connection at the collar around each end of the air muscles. The inflation of the muscle along with the tension force rip through the threads around the collar, so I’ve reinforced those points with rivets with some room to expand.
  • 03.12.08
    Exploded Air Muscle

    This is what happens when you pump compressed air directly into an air muscle without a pressure regulator. Good thing I wasn’t wearing it when it exploded.
  • 03.12.08
    Soft Pneumatic Exoskeleton : V 01 Test

    After the first round of testing, I realized assisting jumping with pneumatics is nearly impossible. The size of the tubes and tank necessary to get a high enough cfm to actuate the air muscles at the speed of jumping seems too large for a lightweight wearable application. So, I’m going to concentrate on assisting walking. […]
  • 02.29.08
    Soft Pneumatic Suit : Prototype 01

    \ I finally have a full assembly of all the major components sewn with thick canvas and leather. The small scuba tank provides the air pressure, controlled by an Arduino and solenoid valves. The basic operation of pneumatic muscle works. Air pressure at about 100psi inflates the muscle, creating a contracting motion of about 2 […]
  • 02.18.08
    Pneumatic Muscle : Solenoid Valve Test

    I finally got the solenoid valve hooked up to an air compressor and and arduino board. Air pressure is regulated at 100 psi. It looks like I’m going to need bigger pipes to get more cfm for faster muscle actuation. The shorter muscle has an over sized braided sleeve, which I thought might help the […]
  • 02.01.08
    Pneumatic Muscle : Pressure Test

    The first set of home brew pneumatic muscles actually work. There’s no leakage and it looks like it holds well over 60 psi. The tiny air reservoir barely holds enough air for 2 actuations, so it looks likes a small scuba tank or a tiny air compressor is going to be needed. Weight tests coming […]
  • 01.30.08
    Pneumatic Muscles

    Here’s my first set homebrew pneumatic muscles. I’m not sure how strong these are going to be, but it looks promising. The compression fittings aren’t being used the way they were meant to be used, so it’s likely that connection will be the first point of failure when it goes under stress. As soon as […]
  • 01.28.08
    Pneumatic Soft Exoskeleton

    Pneumatic systems are clean, safe, lightweight, and reliable. In a pneumatic electronic hybrid system, electric components simply control the flow of air pressure, removing the burden of weight and kinetic actuation from electrical power to pneumatic power. The advantage is a lightweight low idle power system with high power kinetic impact. My initial encounter with […]
  • 08.10.07
    Hands Free Umbrella

    The hands free umbrella was designed in collaboration with Dinesh Vader, the patent holder for the device. The design focused on ease of use, comfort and portability. Materials were chosen to make an attractive soft shell sling while keeping manufacturing costs low.