Exoskeleton boot and lower link

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/259,122, filed on Nov. 24, 2015, entitled “EXOSKELETON BOOT AND LOWER LINK,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The embodiments relate generally to exoskeleton boots and, in particular, to an exoskeleton boot that can be selectively coupled to and decoupled from a lower link of an exoskeleton.

Many conventional exoskeletons are configured to allow a human user wearing the exoskeleton to perform tasks involving heavy loads, particularly loads that are too heavy for the user to interact with without assistance. Many exoskeletons secure a pair of lower links of the exoskeleton to a user's feet via a pair of straps or clasping mechanisms, which encircle a shoe of the user and secure the shoe to a load-bearing member of the exoskeleton. This makes it difficult for the discrete movements of the user's feet to be detected by the exoskeleton, because the user's feet and shoes are not secured to the exoskeleton lower links with sufficient rigidity. In some cases, a slim foot brace is used to connect to the user's foot while the foot is within a shoe, to improve the rigidity of the connection between the user's foot and the lower link of the exoskeleton. However, these mechanisms can result in forcing “flat-footed” steps and reducing the user's ability to “feel the ground,” and/or creating pressure points on the user's foot, which can lead to discomfort or injury.

The embodiments relate generally to exoskeleton boots and, in particular, to an exoskeleton boot that can be selectively coupled to and decoupled from a lower link of an exoskeleton. In one embodiment, an exoskeleton boot includes an upper configured to receive a foot of a human user and an outsole coupled to the upper. An exoskeleton connection interface is structurally coupled to the outsole and has a locked mode and an unlocked mode. In the locked mode, the exoskeleton connection interface is configured to inhibit decoupling from a boot connection interface of an exoskeleton link. In the unlocked mode, the exoskeleton connection interface is configured to facilitate decoupling from the boot connection interface.

One advantage of this arrangement is that an exoskeleton link of an exoskeleton can be detachably coupled directly to an exoskeleton boot being worn by a user, with the boot transferring an exoskeleton load directly through the exoskeleton boot to a support surface. This also allows the user to more easily move and balance when wearing the exoskeleton, because the exoskeleton boot is able to directly support both the user and the exoskeleton without requiring the exoskeleton boot to be fitted to an intermediate support member separating the user's boot from the support surface and the exoskeleton link. Another advantage of this arrangement is that the exoskeleton boot can be worn and used normally in a manner similar to a conventional boot when the exoskeleton boot is decoupled from the exoskeleton.

According to one embodiment, an exoskeleton boot is disclosed. The exoskeleton boot comprises an upper configured to receive a foot of a human user. The exoskeleton boot further comprises an outsole coupled to the upper. The exoskeleton boot further comprises an exoskeleton connection interface structurally coupled to the outsole. The exoskeleton connection interface includes a locked mode wherein the exoskeleton connection interface is configured to inhibit decoupling of the exoskeleton connection interface from a boot connection interface of an exoskeleton link. The exoskeleton connection interface further includes an unlocked mode wherein the exoskeleton connection interface is configured to facilitate decoupling the exoskeleton connection interface from the boot connection interface of the exoskeleton link.

According to another embodiment, a pair of exoskeleton boots is disclosed. The pair of exoskeleton boots comprises a right-side boot. The right-side boot comprises a right-side upper configured to receive a right foot of a human user. The right-side boot further comprises a right-side outsole coupled to the right-side upper. The right-side boot further comprises a right-side exoskeleton connection interface structurally coupled to the right-side outsole. The right-side exoskeleton connection interface includes a locked mode wherein the right-side exoskeleton connection interface is configured to inhibit decoupling of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface from a right-side boot connection interface of a right-side exoskeleton link. The right-side exoskeleton connection interface further comprises an unlocked mode wherein the right-side exoskeleton connection interface is configured to facilitate decoupling the right-side exoskeleton connection interface from the right-side boot connection interface of the right-side exoskeleton link. The pair of exoskeleton boots further comprises a left-side boot. The left-side boot comprises a left-side upper configured to receive a left foot of a human user. The left-side boot further comprises a left-side outsole coupled to the left-side upper. The left-side boot further comprises a left-side exoskeleton connection interface structurally coupled to the left-side outsole. The left-side exoskeleton connection interface includes a locked mode wherein the left-side exoskeleton connection interface is configured to inhibit decoupling of the left-side exoskeleton connection interface from a left-side boot connection interface of a left-side exoskeleton link. The left-side exoskeleton connection interface further includes an unlocked mode wherein the left-side exoskeleton connection interface is configured to facilitate decoupling the left-side exoskeleton connection interface from the left-side boot connection interface of the left-side exoskeleton link.

According to another embodiment, a lower link of an exoskeleton is disclosed. The lower link of the exoskeleton comprises a boot connection interface. The boot connection interface includes a locked mode wherein the boot connection interface is configured to inhibit decoupling the boot connection interface from a rigid connection interface of an exoskeleton boot. The boot connection interface further includes an unlocked mode wherein the boot connection interface is configured to facilitate decoupling the boot connection interface from the rigid connection interface of the exoskeleton boot.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the disclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures.

The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a right-side exoskeleton boot and a portion of a right-side exoskeleton lower link configured to be removably coupled to the right-side exoskeleton boot, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a left-side exoskeleton boot corresponding to the right-side exoskeleton boot of FIG. 1 and a portion of a left-side exoskeleton lower link corresponding to the right-side exoskeleton lower link of FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of an exoskeleton containing a pair of exoskeleton lower links configured to be removably coupled to the pair of exoskeleton boots of FIGS. 1 and 2 , according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of a user wearing the exoskeleton boots of FIGS. 1 and 2 and the exoskeleton of FIG. 3 coupled to the exoskeleton boots, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the right-side exoskeleton boot of FIG. 1 with a portion of an upper removed to illustrate component parts of the exoskeleton boot;

FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of the right-side exoskeleton boot of FIG. 1 showing additional components of an exoskeleton engagement mechanism for removably coupling the exoskeleton boot of FIG. 1 to the exoskeleton lower link, according to an embodiment; and

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate simplified schematic views of the exoskeleton engagement mechanism of FIG. 6 in a locked mode and an unlocked mode, according to an embodiment.

The embodiments set forth below represent the information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.

The use herein of ordinals in conjunction with an element is solely for distinguishing what might otherwise be similar or identical labels, such as “first side” and “second side,” and does not imply a priority, a type, an importance, or other attribute, unless otherwise stated herein. As used herein and in the claims, the articles “a” and “an” in reference to an element refers to “one or more” of the element unless otherwise explicitly specified.

The embodiments relate generally to exoskeleton boots and, in particular, to an exoskeleton boot that can be selectively coupled to and decoupled from a lower link of an exoskeleton. In one embodiment, an exoskeleton boot includes an upper configured to receive a foot of a human user and an outsole coupled to the upper. An exoskeleton connection interface is structurally coupled to the outsole and has a locked mode and an unlocked mode. In the locked mode, the exoskeleton connection interface is configured to inhibit decoupling from a boot connection interface of an exoskeleton link. In the unlocked mode, the exoskeleton connection interface is configured to facilitate decoupling from the boot connection interface.

One advantage of this arrangement is that an exoskeleton link of an exoskeleton can be detachably coupled directly to an exoskeleton boot being worn by a user, with the exoskeleton boot transferring an exoskeleton load directly through the exoskeleton boot to a support surface. This also allows the user to more easily move and balance when wearing the exoskeleton, because the exoskeleton boot is able to directly support both the user and the exoskeleton without requiring the exoskeleton boot to be fitted to an intermediate support member separating the user's boot from the support surface and the exoskeleton link. Another advantage of this arrangement is that the exoskeleton boot can be worn and used normally in a manner similar to a conventional boot when the exoskeleton boot is decoupled from the exoskeleton.

The phrase “upper” is used herein to refer to the part of a boot that encloses a user's foot other than the bottom of the user's foot. The phrase “outsole” is used herein to refer to the part of a boot that sits below a user's foot. The upper and sole together completely enclose the user's foot. The phrase “heel” is used herein to refer to the part of the outsole that raises the rear of the boot in relation to the front. The phrase “quarter” is used herein to refer to the rear and sides of the upper that encloses the heel of the user.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , an exoskeleton 100 includes a right-side exoskeleton link 102 R and a right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R configured to be detachably coupled to the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R. It should be understood that elements having a reference number with an “R” suffix generally refer to a right-side element of a matched pair of elements. In general, a right-side element has a matching left-side element, which is generally denoted by an “L” suffix. For example, the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R in this embodiment forms a matched pair with a left-side exoskeleton boot 104 L, which will be described below with respect to FIG. 2 .

Referring back to the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R of FIG. 1 , the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R comprises a right-side upper 106 R configured to receive a foot of a human user (see FIG. 3 ) and a right-side outsole 108 R coupled to the right-side upper 106 R. In this example, the right-side upper 106 R may comprise flexible materials, such as synthetic or leather materials, for comfort and strength, and the right-side outsole 108 R may be made of a durable synthetic material that can support a load, and has relatively high wearability. A right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is structurally coupled to the right-side outsole 108 R.

In this embodiment, the right-side outsole 108 R includes a right-side rigid heel 112 R configured to support a weight associated with the exoskeleton 100 and/or the human user. In this example, a right-side rigid quarter 114 R is fixedly coupled to the right-side rigid heel 112 R, and extends along a rear perimeter of the rigid heel 112 R to enclose a heel of the human user and to provide a rigid support structure for the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R. In this regard, the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is fixedly coupled to the right-side rigid quarter 114 R, such that the right-side outsole 108 R is configured to support the weight associated with the exoskeleton 100 and/or the human user applied through the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R, through the right-side rigid quarter 114 R and right-side rigid heel 112 R and transferred to a support surface. In this example, the weight associated with the exoskeleton 100 and/or the human user is at least 200 pounds, but it should be understood that the components of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R may be configured to support larger or smaller weights, as desired. The right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R and other components of the exoskeleton 100 may comprise a suitably rigid material, such as plastic, metal, or the like.

The right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is configured to be removably coupled to a right-side boot connection interface 116 R of the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R. In this embodiment as well, the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R has a locked mode and an unlocked mode. As will be described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 6 , in the locked mode, the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is configured to inhibit decoupling from the right-side boot connection interface 116 R of the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R. In the unlocked mode, the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is configured to facilitate decoupling from the right-side boot connection interface 116 R.

In this embodiment, the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R has a right-side outer side 118 R corresponding to an outer-facing side of the human user's right foot, and a right-side inner side 120 R corresponding to an inner-facing side of the user's right foot, adjacent to an inner-facing side of the human user's left foot. The right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is mounted on the right-side outer side 118 R, but it should be understood that the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R can be mounted elsewhere with respect to the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R, as desired.

The right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R has a lock mechanism, which is a right-side lock lever 122 R in this example, rotatable about a right-side hinge 124 R with respect to a right-side connection interface body 126 R. In FIG. 1 , the right-side lock lever 122 R is in a locked configuration corresponding to the locked mode, which causes a right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R of the right-side connection interface body to attach to a corresponding right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R of the right-side boot connection interface 116 R, thereby inhibiting decoupling of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R from the right-side boot connection interface 116 R of the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R. The right-side lock lever 122 R can also be rotated to an unlocked configuration corresponding to the unlocked mode, which causes a right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R of the right-side connection interface body 126 R to detach from the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R, thereby facilitating decoupling of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R from the right-side boot connection interface 116 R.

The right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R and the right-side boot connection interface 116 R are located at a position corresponding to an outer ankle of the human user to permit the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R to selectively rotate with respect to the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R.

For example, in this embodiment, the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is fixed with respect to the right-side rigid quarter 114 R while the right-side boot connection interface 116 R comprises an actuator (not shown), such as a motor, to actuate rotation of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R and to provide resistance against rotation of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R, as desired. In another embodiment, the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R and/or right-side boot connection interface 116 R may allow free rotation of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R and/or may provide a degree of resistance against rotation, e.g., by a torsion spring (not shown). The right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R may also include one or more right-side sensors 131 R to facilitate a determination of a load on the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R. The right-side sensors 131 R may include pressure sensors, gyro sensors, and/or other various electronics to determine, for example, a current orientation of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R. Components of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R and/or other components of the exoskeleton 100 may be in communication with the right-side sensors 131 R and may be configured to be operated in response to signals received from the right-side sensors 131 R. For example, a signal generated by the right-side sensors 131 R based on a force applied to the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R may be used by a controller (not shown) to facilitate movement of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R or another component. As noted above, additional features and details of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R are described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 6 below.

Referring back to the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R of FIG. 1 , the right-side upper 106 R may include a number of conventional features, such as a right-side throat opening 132 R and a right-side tongue 134 R. The right-side throat opening 132 R has a number of right-side eyelets for receiving a right-side shoelace 136 R. The right-side upper 106 R forms a right-side interior insole 138 R that can be secured to the human user's right foot by tightening and tying the right-side shoelace 136 R, as is known in the art. The right-side upper 106 also includes a right-side toe portion 140 R to protect the human user's foot. The right-side outsole 108 R may also include a right-side shank 142 R that extends from a midsection of the outsole to the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R. The right-side shank 142 R may be coupled to the right-side rigid quarter to provide reinforcement against bending or twisting of the right-side rigid quarter 114 R, thereby adding rigidity to the right-side outsole 108 R, the right-side rigid heel 112 R, and the right-side rigid quarter 114 R, which in turn allows the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R to bear larger loads while protecting the human user's foot from unnecessary stress and potential injury.

As will be discussed in greater detail with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R is telescopically adjustable to accommodate different human users. In this regard, the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R comprises a right-side exoskeleton extension member 144 R coupled to the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R. The right-side exoskeleton extension member 144 R is telescopically connected to a right-side telescoping tube 146 R, which permits the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R to be adjusted to different lengths based on a calf length of a human user. The right-side telescoping tube 146 R has a plurality of right-side locking apertures 148 R configured to receive a right-side biased protrusion 150 R to selectively secure the right-side exoskeleton extension member 144 R with respect to the right-side telescoping tube 146 R at one of a plurality of predetermined positions, as is known in the art. In this manner, the right-side exoskeleton link 102 R can be secured at one of a plurality of predetermined lengths.

As noted above, the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R of this embodiment has a corresponding left-side exoskeleton boot 104 L. In this regard, FIG. 2 illustrates the left-side exoskeleton boot 104 L and a portion of a corresponding left-side exoskeleton link 102 L. In this embodiment, the left-side components of the left-side exoskeleton boot 104 L is a mirror-image of the corresponding right-side components of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R of FIG. 1 . For example, the right-side lock lever 122 R is located forward of a left-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 L on the right-side outer side 118 R of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R and configured to be rotated clockwise from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. Meanwhile, a left-side lock lever 122 L is also located forward of the left-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 L on a left-side outer side 118 L of the left-side exoskeleton boot 104 L. As such, the left-side lock lever 122 L is configured to be rotated counter-clockwise from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration.

In an alternative embodiment, the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R and the left-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 L could be identical, with the right-side lock lever 122 R located forward of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R on the right-side outer side 118 R of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R, and the left-side lock lever 122 L located rearward of the left-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 L on the left-side outer side 118 L of the left-side exoskeleton boot 104 L. In this embodiment, both the right-side lock lever 122 R and the left-side lock lever 122 L would be configured to rotate clockwise from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. This visually asymmetrical arrangement would allow some or all of the same components to be used for both the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R and the left-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 L, which has the benefit of reducing costs.

Turning now to FIG. 3 , a side view of the exoskeleton 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is illustrated. In this embodiment, the exoskeleton 100 is a full-body exoskeleton including an upper body exoskeleton 152 and a lower body exoskeleton 154 movably coupled to each other via a hip link 156 . It should be understood, however, that embodiments may also include a partial exoskeleton, e.g., the lower body exoskeleton 154 without the upper body exoskeleton 152 .

The lower body exoskeleton 154 includes a pair of hip joints 158 R, 158 L and a pair of knee joints 160 R, 160 L. A pair of thigh extension members 162 R, 162 L are rotatably coupled to a corresponding one of the pair of exoskeleton links 102 R, 102 L (which are lower leg links in this embodiment) via the respective knee joints 160 R, 160 L. Similar to the exoskeleton links 102 R, 102 L, each of the thigh extension members 162 R, 162 L is telescopically adjustable, with each of the thigh extension members 162 R, 162 L telescopically coupled to a pair of telescoping tubes 164 R, 164 L, which are in turn rotatably coupled to the hip link 156 via a respective one of the hip joints 158 R, 158 L. Each of the exoskeleton links 102 R, 102 L may include one or more lower leg strap mechanisms 166 R, 166 L for securing the exoskeleton links 102 R, 102 L to a respective lower leg of a human user. In combination with the selectively removable exoskeleton boots 104 R, 104 L, this allows the lower body exoskeleton 154 to be secured to the lower body of the human user while allowing the human user to more comfortably and safely use the exoskeleton 100 .

The upper body exoskeleton 152 includes a rigid back member 168 and a counterweight assembly 170 , which may be rotatably coupled to the rigid back member 168 and/or the hip link 156 via a pivot point 172 . The upper body exoskeleton 152 also includes a waist strap mechanism 174 and a pair of shoulder strap mechanisms 176 R, 176 L for securing the upper body exoskeleton 152 to an upper body (i.e., torso) of a human user.

In this regard, FIG. 4 illustrates a human user 178 wearing the exoskeleton 100 , including the exoskeleton boots 104 R, 104 L. In this example, an upper body 180 , back 182 , and shoulders 184 of the human user 178 are secured to the upper body exoskeleton 152 by the rigid back member 168 , the waist strap mechanism 174 , and the shoulder strap mechanisms 176 R, 176 L, and a lower body 186 (i.e., legs) of the human user 178 is secured to the lower body exoskeleton 154 . In this example, it can be seen that the exoskeleton 100 is arranged so that the hip joints 158 R, 158 L correspond to hips 188 R, 188 L of the human user 178 , the thigh extension members 162 R, 162 L and telescoping tubes 164 R, 164 L correspond to thighs 190 R, 190 L of the human user 178 , the knee joints 160 R, 160 L correspond to knees 192 R, 192 L of the human user 178 , and the exoskeleton links 102 R, 102 L correspond to calves of the human user 178 . Feet 196 R, 196 L of the human user 178 are disposed in the exoskeleton boots 104 R, 104 L, with the rotatable exoskeleton connection interfaces 110 R, 110 L corresponding to ankles 198 R, 198 L of the human user 178 .

To better illustrate the load-bearing components of the disclosed exoskeleton boots 104 R, 104 L, FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R of FIG. 1 with a portion of the upper 106 R (not shown) removed. As discussed above, the right-side rigid quarter 114 R is fixedly coupled to the right-side rigid heel 112 R, and the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is fixedly coupled to the right-side rigid quarter 114 R. The right-side rigid heel 112 R and the right-side rigid quarter 114 R may comprise any suitably rigid material, such as metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, etc.), plastic, or the like. In this example, the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R is configured to support the weight associated with the exoskeleton 100 , which can be 50-75 pounds or more and/or the human user, which can be 150-200 pounds or more. The weight of the exoskeleton 100 and/or the human user is applied through the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R to the right-side rigid heel 112 R and is transferred through the right-side rigid heel 112 R and/or the right-side outsole 108 R to a support surface.

Turning now to FIG. 6 , a front view of the right-side exoskeleton boot 104 R of FIG. 1 is illustrated, showing additional components of the right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R. In this regard, the right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R forms a right-side central aperture 200 R for receiving a right-side central protrusion 202 R of the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R of the boot connection interface 116 R. In this example, the right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R also forms a plurality of right-side alignment apertures 204 R each configured to receive a corresponding right-side engagement protrusion 206 R disposed on the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R.

The right-side central protrusion 202 R forms a transversely extending right-side locking aperture 208 R configured to receive a right-side biased locking pin 210 R coupled to the right-side lock lever 122 R of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R. In this manner, the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R can be securely coupled to the right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R. A right-side actuator 212 R may also be coupled to the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R as discussed above.

In this manner, the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R can be removably coupled to the right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R. In this regard, FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate simplified schematic views of the right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R of FIG. 6 in a locked mode and an unlocked mode, according to an embodiment. In FIG. 7A , the right-side lock lever 122 R is rotated about the right-side hinge 124 R into the locked configuration to bias the right-side biased locking pin 210 R into the right-side central aperture 200 R. When the boot connection interface 116 R is coupled to the right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R, the right-side biased locking pin 210 R extends into the right-side locking aperture 208 R of the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R to inhibit decoupling of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R from the right-side boot connection interface 116 R of the exoskeleton 100 .

In FIG. 7B , the right-side lock lever 122 R is rotated clockwise about the right-side hinge 124 R into the unlocked configuration, which causes a right-side standoff stop 214 R to pull the right-side biased locking pin 210 R out of the right-side central aperture 200 R. When the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R is coupled to the right-side exoskeleton engagement mechanism 128 R, rotating the right-side lock lever 122 R to the unlocked configuration removes the right-side biased locking pin 210 R from the locking aperture of 208 R of the right-side boot engagement mechanism 130 R to facilitate decoupling of the right-side exoskeleton connection interface 110 R from the right-side boot connection interface 116 R of the exoskeleton 100 .

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.