Editing Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton

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{{update|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox exoskeleton
|name=Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX)
|image=Berkeley BLEEX 2004.jpg
|creator=[[University of California, Berkeley]] ([[Berkeley Robotics & Human Engineering Laboratory]])<br>[[Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency]]
|year=2003
|country={{flag|United States}}
}}

The '''Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton''' (BLEEX) is a [[robot]]ic device that attaches to the lower [[Human body|body]]. Its purpose is to complement the user's [[Physical strength|strength]] by adding extra [[force]] to the user's lower extremity bodily movements. The BLEEX was funded by the [[Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency]] (DARPA), and [[research and development|developed]] by the Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory, a unit within the [[University of California, Berkeley]] [[UC Berkeley College of Engineering|Department of Mechanical Engineering]].  DARPA provided the initial $50 million of start-up funds in 2001.<ref>Singer, Peter W. [http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2008/0502_iron_man_singer.aspx "How to Be All That You Can Be: A Look at the Pentagon's Five Step Plan For Making Iron Man Real"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608084453/http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2008/0502_iron_man_singer.aspx |date=2010-06-08 }}, [http://www.brookings.edu/ The Brookings Institution], 2 May 2008.</ref>

== Design ==
The BLEEX has four [[hydraulics|hydraulically]] actuated joints: two at the hip, one at the knee, and one at the ankle. The BLEEX is energetically [[Automation|autonomous]], meaning it has an on-board power supply.<ref name="dollar">{{cite journal|last1=Dollar|first1=Aaron M.|last2=Herr|first2=Hugh|title=Lower Extremity Exoskeletons and Active Orthoses: Challenges and State-of-the-Art|journal=IEEE Transactions on Robotics|date=February 2008|volume=24|issue=1|pages=144&ndash;158|doi=10.1109/TRO.2008.915453 |s2cid=17925670 |url=http://biomech.media.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/07/Dollar-2008_Lower-Extremity-Exoskeletons-and-Active-Orthoses-Challenges-and-State-of-the-Art.pdf|accessdate=8 August 2016|ref=dollar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508143943/http://biomech.media.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/07/Dollar-2008_Lower-Extremity-Exoskeletons-and-Active-Orthoses-Challenges-and-State-of-the-Art.pdf|archive-date=8 May 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Development later moved to [[Lockheed Martin]], where the device became known as the [[Human Universal Load Carrier]], or HULC.<ref name="ray">{{cite web |title=Raytheon XOS 2 Exoskeleton, Second-Generation Robotics Suit - Army Technology |url=https://www.army-technology.com/projects/raytheon-xos-2-exoskeleton-us/ |website=www.army-technology.com |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="hulc">{{cite web |title=Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) - Army Technology |url=https://www.army-technology.com/projects/human-universal-load-carrier-hulc/ |website=www.army-technology.com |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref>

== Performance ==
The BLEEX consumes 1143 [[watt]]s of hydraulic power during ground-level [[walking]] along with another 200 watts of electrical power for electronics. It can support a load of {{convert|75|kg|lb}} while walking at {{convert|0.9|m/s|ft/s}}, and can walk at up to {{convert|1.3|m/s|ft/s}} without any load.<ref name="dollar" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Robots of the United States]]
[[Category:Robotic exoskeletons]]
[[Category:2003 robots]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley]]


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