Some of the most exciting robotics breakthroughs are happening in the exoskeleton space. Sure, any robotic system worth its salt has the potential to affect change, but this is one of the categories where such changes can be immediately felt – specifically, it’s about improving the lives of people with limited mobility.
A team out of Stanford’s Biomechatronics Laboratory just published the results of years’ long research into the category in Nature. The project began life – as these things often do – through simulations and laboratory work. The extent of the robot boot’s real world testing has thus far been limited to treadmills. The researchers behind it, however, at readying it for life beyond the lab doors.
“This exoskeleton personalizes assistance as people walk normally through the real world,” said lab head Steve Collins said in a release. “And it resulted in exceptional improvements in walking speed and energy
