Jetpack helps soldiers run faster

What if every soldier could run a four-minute mile? That's the goal behind 4MM, or 4 Minute Mile, a student project to create a wearable jetpack that enhances speed and agility. Working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and a faculty mentor, Jason Kerestes is the mastermind behind 4MM. He built a prototype of the jetpack and is now testing and refining his design to be as effective as possible. The 4MM project is part of an ASU program called iProjects, which brings students and industry together to find innovative solutions to real-world problems.

Soft Robotic Exosuit

In this video, Harvard faculty member Conor Walsh and members of his team explain how the biologically inspired Soft Exosuit targets enhancing the mobility of healthy individuals and restoring the mobility of those with physical disabilities. Credit: Harvard's Wyss Institute. Note: This technology is currently in the research and development phase and is not available commercially. Any suggested or implied claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Muscle Activation During Gait animation credit: K. Oberhofer, K. Mithraratne, N. S. Stott, I. A. Anderson (2009). Anatomically-based musculoskeletal modeling: prediction and validation of muscle deformation during walking.

Women Walks Again with Exoskeleton

In 1992, Amanda Boxtel suffered a vicious skiing accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors said she would never walk again. This week, she proved them wrong, with the help of the world's first 3D printed exoskeleton that gives her the ability to climb out of her wheelchair and walk once again.

The Ekso-Suit Amanda wears is fully bespoke. 3D Systems used data from a full body scan to print custom-tailored pieces that fit exactly to Amanda's body. Mechanical components from EksoBionics provide the automation, allowing Amanda to safely use her legs and a pair of canes to walk around.

3D scanning and printing technologies were crucial to making Amanda's exoskeleton, which took roughly 3 months to complete. As Scott Summit, senior director for functional design at 3D Systems, told Cnet, "we had to be very specific with the design so we never had 3D-printed parts bumping into bony prominences, which can lead to abrasions." Since Amanda has no sensation in her legs, even tiny skin injuries can become dangerously infected before they're found. A comfortable fit isn't just a nicety, it's a safety necessity.

This exoskeleton is the first to use 3D printing for an individualized fit, but it's not Amanda's first time using such technology: in 2010, she helped test an earlier exoskeleton design to help paralyzed patients walk again. Since then, she's been active as one of ten EksoBionics test pilots involved in the design process. Keep reading at http://bit.ly/1gwvSTl

Korean Factory Workers Don Exoskeletons for Superhuman Strength

At Daewoo’s South Korean shipyard, lifting and moving massive slabs of metal as if they’re made of foam could soon be a basic job requirement for workers. Of course, they’ll have some help: robotic exoskeletons, which made their debut last year at the company’s manufacturing facility, are on the rise.

After successfully testing the exoskeletons last year, the shipbuilding giant hopes to soon outfit some of their employees with the technology, giving them the superhuman strength to take production to new heights, New Scientist reports. The prototypes tested allowed workers to pick up 65-pound objects and manipulate them with ease, but Daewoo plans to increase the exoskeletons’ carrying capacity to roughly 220 pounds with design improvements.

Heavy Lift

The exoskeletons themselves weigh in at 60 pounds, but workers don’t feel the load because an aluminum alloy and steel frame supports its own weight. Workers simply lock their boots into the footpads of the suit, and fasten straps from the thighs to the chest.

Hydraulic joints and battery-powered motors give the workers Iron Man-like strength for lifting, but also allow them to walk normally. In addition to raw lifting ability, workers can also handle heavy objects precisely, since they feel much lighter.

The Age of Exoskeletons

After years of research into robotic exoskeletons, it seems 2014 is shaping up to be the year the technology enters the “real world.”  In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first robotic exoskeleton for paralyzed individuals. During the opening ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a teenage Brazilian paraplegic delivered the opening kick with a mind-controlled exoskeleton.

According to a 2014 Wintergreen Research report, the market for rehabilitative robotics — which includes exoskeletons — is expected to grow from its current $43.8 million to $1.8 billion by 2020.

Robotic bionic suit, or exoskeleton

Ekso™ is a bionic suit, or exoskeleton, which enables individuals with lower extremity paralysis to stand up and walk over ground with a weight bearing, four point reciprocal gait. Walking is achieved by the user’s forward lateral weight shift to initiate a step. Battery-powered motors drive the legs and replace neuromuscular function.

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