| Abstract: | The internal human skeleton is referred to as an endoskeleton, while the cuticles of lobsters and crabs are referred to as exoskeletons. Much research has been conducted in attempts to combine endoskeletons and exoskeletons. However, there are very few instances of research being undertaken to create a cyborg. The human endoskeleton consists of kinematic pairs that are joined together with a maximum of three degrees of kinematic freedom. These are a turning pair on a lateral-bending axis, a turning pair on a longitudinal-bending axis, and a turning pair on the central axis of a skeleton. If the strength of the muscles on a human skeleton decline, or if component parts of a human skeleton are lost, then a module-type exoskeleton designed with a maximum of three degrees of kinematic freedom would be able to contain an entire body so that it could assist the functions of the arms, hands, legs, and other body parts to complement the declining or lost physical functions (kinematic or biological). Based on this concept, it is possible to develop an exoskeleton cyborg system that behaves in much the same way that a human does in daily life. This work was presented in part at the 7th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 16–18, 2002 |
