Evaluating a compact,low maintenamce positioning device for the space sector.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Designing an electrical actuator that can truly match the power/weight ratio needed . for an 'active' ankle or knee prosthesis presents significant technical challenges and is the driver for this research project. The new actuator must provide a cost-effective, highly compact and more powerful unit able to fit within the volume of the absent limb sections and must offer significantly improved user 'controllability' over devices currently on the market, oelivering performance through a user interface compatible with normal human expectation and therefore be more intuitive and easier to control. Elumotion's target is that actuator components will be electrically controlled with no mechanical engagement. This should permit body generated free-swing of the· prosthetic limb, making use, whenever possible, of 'passive dynamics' so enabling conservation of portable power supplies and preservation of the wearers natural walking gait. Further advantages are anticipated from noise-free operation, robustness to contaminant ingress and the potential for long duty cycles due to high efficiencies and the absence of wearing surfaces. The new actuator is expected to be attractive as a replacement for existing actuators in robotic, industrial, medical, automotive and aerospace applications - offering a significantly more controllable and more reliable component. In particular being able to control the actuator in a shock absorbing mode may be particularly attractive to industrial automation and process control, where manufacturing downtime can occur from assemblies that collide and fail as they do not possess a shock absorbing feature.

Elumotion Ltd supplies market leading robotics and prosthetic electromechanical devices to diverse technology organisations, including: Touch Bionics, where Elumotion produced the initial design for their market leading hand prosthesis; Shunk, SciSys' Mars Rover and Bristol Robotics Lab. The company's expertise lies in developing highly cost-effective, humancompatible devices capable of human-equivalent motion. Elumotion’s portable humanoid robot hand (Elu2-Hand) is sold worldwide under licence though Schunk GmbH. This life-size hand has compact and lightweight joints within its volume fitted with actuators that approximate the torque and speed characteristics of human hand joints more closely than other robotic or prosthetic hands currently available. These mechanisms may be adapted to produce a powered control ‘glove’ (the Exoglove) able to actively move the operator’s fingers to reflect the position of the finger joints of the robot hand and vice versa and simulate touch sensation. The ExoGlove is a development of the Elu2- Hand IP offering valuable competitive solutions in significant, emerging global markets including: hazardous working environments, tele-surgery, hand rehabilitation, micro & macromanipulation, configurable industrial processes and gaming. Elumotion has built an Exoglove demonstrator to establish concept feasibility and now needs to select an initial target market and develop a product to meet its specific requirements. This Proof of Market project will research potential markets for Exoglove and will make a systematic and informed choice of market, application area and route to market. The project will identify any development work needed for the selected exploitation route and prepare exploitation plans including costs and schedule and document the investment case. The project will facilitate Elumotions' shift to an advanced engineering and product R&D lab, enabling recruitment, portfolio development and sales growth.