НАУЧНЫЕ, ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ И ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND ECONOMICAL PROBLEMS Miomir K. Vukobratovic, Milos D. Jovanovic ACTIVE EXOSKELETONS, BEGINNING, PRESENT STATE AND THE FUTURE We are witnessing an unimaginably intensive development in the field of humanoid robotics. <...> The objective of this article was to indicate the beginnings and review the history of the development of active exoskeletons, their original purpose and role in the systems for rehabilitation of severely handicapped persons. <...> We take a look back on the beginnings of the development of humanoid robots, especially bipedal locomotion systems and active exoskeletons, whose development marked the beginning of the research in the domain of humanoid robotics. <...> Once more we point out some of our pioneering results in the domain of active exoskeletons that were originally dedicated to supporting locomotion of handicapped persons. <...> We indicated the relationships between the initial research in the field of active rehabilitation techniques and contemporary humanoid systems and tried to predict the future directions of the development of humanoid robotics and active exoskeletal systems and their applications. <...> Keywards: Humanoid robot, biped locomotion, Zero-Moment Point (ZMP), semi-inverse method, active exoskeleton, power enhancement, active suit. 1. <...> The most recent knowledge from anatomy indicates that certain groups of muscles are responsible for dynamic movements of the particular body parts (shoulder, hip, backbone), encompassing complex translations and rotations at a joint. <...> From a point of view of mechanics, the link of the human hand or leg is not a rigid body fixed at a point – as is with contemporary robots, but a rigid body f lexibly connected by short cords (ligaments). <...> A realistic model for this is the SE(3) group of Euclidean motion of rigid body, with 6 coupled degrees of freedom. <...> The above obstacles being removed, along with the humanoid robots playing mainly the role of communicators and entertainers, there appear humanoids of quite different aspirations in the domain of manipulation-locomotion activities of humans (case of sportsman on a trampoline, man on the mobile Проблемы машиностроения и автоматизации, № 4 – 2007 7 Miomir K. Vukobratovic, Milos D. Jovanovic and their maintenance, cleaning tall buildings, replacement of damaged parts of tanks and pipelines, sheep shearing, robots-butchers for meat carving and deboning, micro-robots for inspection of the intestinal tract <...>