New exoskeleton boot puts a spring in your step

Record ID: 1692974

  • Title: New exoskeleton boot puts a spring in your step
  • Date: 12th October 2022
  • Summary: STANFORD, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 11, 2022) (Reuters) VARIOUS OF PATRICK SLADE, POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, WALKING IN EXOSKELETON BOOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SLADE, POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, SAYING: "So the exoskeleton is essentially a normal shoe with a piece that runs up the length of your calf that has a motor. And this motor winds a cable to help launch you as you're walking. So it helps you push off and actually turn off your calf muscles, which saves you energy and can also help you increase your walking speed." VARIOUS OF SLADE PUTTING ON BOOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SLADE, POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, SAYING: "Wearing the device is exciting. It feels like you have sort of a spring in your step. It kind of launches you as you're walking and propels you forward. And at first it takes a bit getting used to, but after you've been using it for a while and you turn it off, you can really tell. It does feel like you're taking off a large load from your body, like this backpack analogy that we're making and it really allows you to walk more easily and more quickly." EXOSKELETON BOOTS ON SLADE CLOSE-UP OF AMPLIFIER THAT READS THE SENSOR MOTOR ON BACK OF BOOT THAT PULLS A CABLE, ADJUSTING THE ASSISTANCE GIVEN TO THE WALKER SLADE'S ANKLE MOVING IN BOOT TILT OF BOOTS STEVE COLLINS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEVE COLLINS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, SAYING: "We want to help people to do the things they want to do. And one of the most important aspects of life is mobility, the ability to get from one place to another just under your own power. And many people have disabilities that make that very challenging. And everyone as they get older slows down and finds walking more effortful. So we're developing exoskeletons that make keep walking easy and fast for all of us." SLADE WALKING IN BOOT (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK SLADE, POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, SAYING: "One important feature is that we personalize assistance to each person. And so this means we all walk differently and we actually need different forms of assistance to see these benefits. So to see this energy reduction. And so we do this by looking at your motion. So your ankle angle, your ankle velocity and the torque that we're applying to you and we figure out by trying out different assistance conditions what's going to work best for you. And so by doing that, we can provide the best benefits possible for each person." BOOTS SLADE WALKING IN BOOTS
  • Embargoed: 26th October 2022 14:52
  • Keywords: California California robotics Stanford Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory Stanford University exoskeleton
  • Location: Stanford, California, United States
  • City: Stanford, California, United States
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Science,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001133610102022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A new study published on Wednesday (October 12) in the journal Nature shows a promising future for an untethered exoskeleton boot that could improve the lives of people suffering from mobility issues.
    This robotic boot, which looks like a stripped down, uncovered version of Iron Man’s suit in the Marvel movies, brings together computers, sensors, and motors to assist wearers in walking faster while expending less energy.
    According to the study, the boot allowed users to walk 9% faster while using 17% less energy. Researchers say the energy saved is roughly equivalent to removing a 30-pound (13 kilogram) backpack.
    The goal is to eventually get the boots onto the feet and legs of anyone who needs help moving.
    “Everyone as they get older slows down and finds walking more effortful, so we’re developing exoskeletons that keep walking easy and fast for all of us,” said Steve Collins, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University and a co-author of the study.
    Among those the researchers envision the boot potentially helping are people with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or post stroke.
    The boot, built at the Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory in Stanford, California, features a motor at the back of the calf. The motor tightens a cable and provides the assistance in walking.
    A sensor located at the back of the heel measures the force applied by the motor. An amplifier just above the ankle reads the sensor.
    Meanwhile, pressure sensors on the bottom will detect the heel strike and the push-off.
    The boot when worn provides a spring in one’s step and essentially replaces the work that one’s calf muscles typically perform, said Patrick Slade, a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University and a co-author of the study.
    “So the exoskeleton is essentially a normal shoe with a piece that runs up the length of your calf that has a motor. And this motor winds a cable to help launch you as you're walking. So it helps you push off and actually turn off your calf muscles, which saves you energy and can also help you increase your walking speed," Slade said.
    One of the major achievements stems from the ability to personalize assistance for a person using the boot.
    Through the lab’s extensive data collection, the researchers developed a model that identifies how efficiently a person walks based on their ankle motion. The model then allows the boot to provide the user with an individualized assistance program to help maximize their efficiency.
    “We all walk differently and we actually need different forms of assistance to see these benefits, to see this energy reduction,” Slade said. “And so we do this by looking at your motion, so your ankle angle, your ankle velocity and the torque that we're applying to you and we figure out by trying out different assistance conditions what's going to work best for you. And so by doing that, we can provide the best benefits possible for each person.”
    (Production: Nathan Frandino)
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