The purpose of this paper is to outline the design of a new high efficiency lower extremity exoskeleton. By reducing the weight and moment of inertia of an exoskeleton the efficiency can be drastically increased. Instead of powering 6 joints (hip, knee, and ankle) this system will allow operators to selectively power joints. This, along with a reduction in moment of inertia by relocating the actuators to the back of the operator will allow for a drastic boost in power efficiency. The torque motors used to power the system will be connected to the joint via a flexible driveshaft system. A unique coupling system will be developed to make changing the powered joints a quick and simple process. 

A technical introduction is given highlighting exactly what an exoskeleton is along with a small literature review of other projects similar to this one. The goals and deliverables of this project are provided along with an explanation of what is currently missing in research literature and details of how this project will fill in these holes. A plan detailing the 3-year timeline of this project is presented as is a risks and mitigation section. Finally, the first appendix shows the preliminary analysis of the project while the second contains the CV’s of parties involved along with references.