A new ankle exoskeleton allowed users to walk, on average, 42% faster than when they wore normal shoes and no exoskeleton, researchers report.
Being unable to walk quickly can be frustrating and problematic, but it is a common issue, especially as people age. Noting the pervasiveness of slower-than-desired walking, engineers tested how well a prototype exoskeleton system—which attaches around the shin and into a running shoe and is externally powered by motors and controlled by an algorithm—increased the self-selected walking speed of people in an experimental setting.
“We were hoping that we could increase walking speed with exoskeleton assistance, but we were really surprised to find such a large improvement,” says study senior author Steve Collins, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University. “Forty percent is huge.”
For this initial set of experiments, the participants were young, healthy adults. Given their impressive results, the researchers plan to run future tests with older adults and to look at other ways they can improve the exoskeleton design. They also hope to eventually create an exoskeleton that can work outside the lab, though that goal is still a ways off.
“My research mission is to understand the science of biomechanics and motor control behind human locomotion and apply that to enhance the physical performance of humans in daily life,” says Seungmoon Song, a postdoctoral fellow in mechanical engineering and lead author of the paper in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.
“I think exoskeletons are very promising tools that could achieve that enhancement in physical quality of life.”
The Exoskeleton Also Red ..
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