You are here

Liquid-cooled actuation to achieve greater degrees of freedom and range of motion in untethered exoskeletons

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Special Operations Command
Contract: H92222-17-C-0074
Agency Tracking Number: S2-0363
Amount: $1,494,523.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: H6.01-8135
Solicitation Number: 2016.1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2016
Award Year: 2017
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2017-09-19
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2019-09-20
Small Business Information
10705 Metric BLVD
Austin, TX 78758
United States
DUNS: 080074031
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Nicholas Paine
 Dr.
 (512) 300-8171
 npaine@apptronik.com
Business Contact
 Bill Welch
Phone: (512) 790-2827
Email: billwelch@apptronik.com
Research Institution
 University of Texas - Human Centered Robotics Labo
 Luis Sentis
 
110 Inner Campus Dr.
Austin, TX 78705
United States

 (650) 906-1196
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

Apptronik Systems Inc., in cooperation with the University of Texas Human Centered Robotics Lab (HCRL) and Huston-Tillotson University Robotics Lab (a historically black college and university HBCU), endeavor to advance the movement capabilities and modularity of the exoskeleton being developed under contract #H92222-17-C-0050. The primary goal of this program is to optimize the range of movement at the joints of the exoskeleton, to achieve dynamic humanlike capabilities, increased the achieved output power of the exoskeleton, and enhance user transparency. The current contract (H92222-17-C-0050) produces a technologically advanced system that delivers capabilities that are as-of-yet unseen in high performance exoskeletons; a parallel effort to optimize the more complex joints and make them modular while improving user transparency would benefit both this proposed development effort and the existing program simultaneously. Objectives of this proposal include complex dynamic joint motions, achieved through powered and passive degrees of freedom, optimized design techniques for modularity in high efficiency, high power-to-weight ratio exoskeletons, and reduction in operator opacity while piloting the exoskeleton. Ultimately, the efforts described in this proposal will aid in the increase of the technology readiness level of the prototyping effort initiated under the first contract.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government