Proposal of air compressing device using walking vibration energy regeneration for pneumatic driven assistive device

Pneumatically driven wearable assistive devices for walking have been developed recently. These devices can achieve flexible assistance without control; however, they require large and heavy air compressors for activation. In this study, a pneumatically driven source using vibration energy regeneration from walking was developed. The aim was to activate the cylinder using vibrations due to walking and compressed air. A mass element, which is connected to a human body via a spring and a cylinder, vibrates along with the human gait cycle. Next, a prototype was developed and tested. In walking experiments, stored pressure was measured at several gait cycles and masses for comparison. Results indicate that the gait cycle period and masses affect the stored pressure; the highest pressure recorded was 0.08 MPa.