Patent ID: 7529632

Claim:
A driving force calculating device for calculating a driving force of a driving section of a power assisting device which section is fixed to bones producing motions through corresponding muscles across a joint between the bones, so that the power assisting device assists and/or resists a skeletal motion of the joint, the driving force calculating device comprising: acquiring means which acquires (a) muscle specifying information that specifies a target muscle, and (b) a target value of muscle force to be produced by the target muscle indicated by the muscle specifying information at the time when the motion is produced under assistance or resistance of the driving section, the target muscle being a muscle of which function is assisted or resisted by the driving section; and target value evaluating means which acquires (i) estimated values of muscle forces of muscles involved in the motion without assistance and resistance of the driving section and (ii) three-dimensional structural information indicative of relative positions of muscles and bones of a living body, and evaluates feasibility of the target value of the target muscle indicated by the muscle specifying information in accordance with the estimated values and the three-dimensional structural information.