Developing eLegs / exoskeleton for sports, an OpenSource project

I am being developing OpenSource tecnhology and knowledge for electric bicycles (2008 - 2019) and many developers joined the project, making it a success (see the ebike TSDZ2 mid drive motor OpenSource firmware) -- bicycles usage did grow worldwide and will keep growing so more and more users will take advantage of our work.

My vision is to develop OpenSource tecnhology and knowledge for an eletric legs / exoskeleton to help users walk and run faster, going more to outside doing sports or commute, and reduce injuries on knees and on spine. I must say that I really want / need this exoskeleton for myself and this is my main motivation!

Project page on Github: https://github.com/elegs/elegs/wiki

Well, you've got this thread now....

I would find it interesting to follow, though I doubt I would be able to contribute much, other than beta testing a set to help with my gimpiness.

Sounds awesome.
And that fits with the idea of this being an "Electric Vehicle and Technology Forum." E-legs are a vehicle.

Drunkskunk said:

Sounds awesome.
And that fits with the idea of this being an "Electric Vehicle and Technology Forum." E-legs are a vehicle.

Click to expand...

Ok then!

I just updated the first message and the tittle:

I am being developing OpenSource tecnhology and knowledge for electric bicycles (2008 - 2019) and many developers joined the project, making it a success (see the ebike TSDZ2 mid drive motor OpenSource firmware) -- bicycles usage did grow worldwide and will keep growing so more and more users will take advantage of our work.

My vision is to develop OpenSource tecnhology and knowledge for an eletric legs / exoskeleton to help users walk and run faster, going more to outside doing sports or commute, and reduce injuries on knees and on spine. I must say that I really want / need this exoskeleton for myself and this is my main motivation!

Project page on Github: https://github.com/elegs/elegs/wiki

This is my big reference, from looking/design perspective, for a walking and running exoskeleton:
[youtube]_2AOppRVSsY[/youtube]


I am being reading and trying to learn from other projects. There are some OpenSource projects about robotics that I think will be relevant for this project:

Gabrael Levine has 2 projects that are a reference for me:

Blackbird Bipedal Robot: https://hackaday.io/project/160882-blackbird-bipedal-robot
This is not OpenSource yet but he promises to do it:
[youtube]tuZiFbaUNa8[/youtube]

And here are pictures of current parts, some of them 3D printed:




And he did developed the OpenTorque actuator that he needed to build the Blackbird Bipedal Robot: https://github.com/G-Levine/OpenTorque-Actuator
[youtube]n_CiCqIRS2E[/youtube]

I like a lot of the idea of implementing a virtual spring by software, this would help to reduce injuries on knees and on spine. Example of implementation of this virtual spring on a robotic jumping leg:
[youtube]gLEGhM1Pce8[/youtube]

New video from James Bruton, from the OpenDog project, that shares information, tests, on how he did developed a leg with a spring implemented by software:

[youtube]qVrPx665NzI[/youtube]

As noted on Hackaday, there is now a Chinese company selling on AliExpress the motors of quadruped walk robot like Mini Cheetah.

I hope this is a start for us to access to more affordable motors, even if they are for walk robots, I am pretty sure they will work for the eLegs project.

I am being looking at being following the project of OpenSource robot dog SpotMicroAI: https://spotmicroai.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

They are using simulation and then put the same code running on the hardware. This is something I want to learn because I think it is a must for ELegs project. They have a very active developers and community!!

SpotMicroAI:





[youtube]p02GrKFgH7g[/youtube]

dude, that thing is awesome. I may have to build one.

I suppose you could use that to turn a regular bike into an ebike. It would be good to do the math on power consumption and see how big a battery you need to go a certain distance. The Boston Dynamics things are really scary to watch, but they seem to be working quite well.

Look at this legs, they are not much bulky and I am pretty sure I don't need that amount of force, I just need maybe 1/4 say they could be even less bulky:

[youtube]QEbHKAPsU6I[/youtube]

That's pretty cool.

Just from my bike riding experience, a shark sized battery pack can output several times more power than my (weak) leg muscles for over an hour. More than 10x for shorter bursts.

Hey Casainho have you made any progress on this ?

The only progress is that I am running more and more, but always slow

Finality there is a company putting on the market ELegs specifically to help run and walk outdoors!! And is cheaper than an expensive EBike brand: