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Darpa-funded fabric exoskeleton assists natural movement

Catwell

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The Soft Exosuit prototype from Harvard's Wyss Institute. (via Harvard)


Harvard's Wyss Institute has been working on their 'Soft Exosuit' for a while. And, as some of you have seen from The Hacksmith's Elysium Exoskeleton, many people have been trying to create an Iron Man suit to fulfill the testosterone-filled dreams of men everywhere. But, Wyss Institute's Soft Exosuit is way different than the other suits that have been developed so far. While current exoskeletons typically look like a robot cage that humans can wear and (kindof) function inside of with the help of tons of battery power, hardware, and software, this suit is made of fabric.

 

The US Army and DARPA have been trying to create an exoskeleton that soldiers can wear under their uniforms to prevent fatigue, prevent injuries, and increase load-bearing capacity. This is all a part of their Warrior Web project. However, DARPA seems to like Harvard's solution much better as they recently funded their Soft Exosuit with $2.9 million. Of course, DARPA plans to use this technology as standard issue for soldiers, but the Wyss Institute is also planning on developing their suit for stroke victims as well. Who knows...eventually, all of us could buy a Soft Exosuit at our local Walmart.

 

The Soft Exosuit works by using fabric to mimic the way our muscles and tendons work to aid in assisting the natural movement of the leg without constricting motion. The 'functional textiles' are woven together and laced with soft sensors that give more or less tension to aid in protecting the joints and lessening fatigue. The pants have a built-in microcontroller that acts as the brain of the Soft Exosuit, working to control the fabric tendons and muscles. It is also supposed to sense whether the user is running, walking, crouching, and more.

 

This suit is the softest and least power-hungry exoskeleton to date. However, the current suit is only a pair of pants, so there is still no word on when, or if, a full exosuit will be build. However, it seems the Wyss Institute has taken a big step in the right direction with their novel approach to exoskeletons which may realistically be used and mass produced.

 

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