EKSO Bionics exoskeleton promo image (via EKSO)
In the Marvel universe, multi-billionaire Tony Stark receives a life-threatening chest wound and designs a crude exoskeleton that both saves his life and lets him escape his captors - who wanted him to build a weapon of mass destruction. His suit enables him to fly, lift incredibly heavy loads and comes with a host of armaments to battle evil. That, of course, is in the comic books and movies, however a reality-based company has developed an exoskeleton that won’t allow the user to fly or do battle with evil but will allow the disabled to walk again which is a truly remarkable feat of its own. The EKSO was developed from Berkeley Bionics (now known as EKSO Bionics) that was unveiled back in 2010 that allows those with lower extremity paralysis or weakness of the legs to stand and walk unassisted (without the help of another person) on their own.
The EKSO itself is a more streamlined version of eLEGS and features a hydraulically powered exoskeleton consisting of aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber making it one of the lightest systems on the market today (over the military’s version anyway). Two lithium-ion batteries (a total of 4 come with the EKSO) power the suit’s hip and knee motors, which provide ‘assisted mobility’ for the user. An on-board computer uses gestural and motion data acquired from sensors positioned at key points of the suit to interpret the intended movement of the user thereby assisting the wearer in hydraulic-powered movement. The wearer (with a maximum weight of 220 and a height requirement of between 5ft 2in and 6ft 4in) can strap-in to the exoskeleton unassisted in under 5 minutes and walk at a brisk 2mph with a battery life of around 6 hours before either being replaced or needing a recharge.
The wearer has a choice of 3 walking modes to choose from while wearing the EKSO with the first being ‘FirstStep,’ which is used in conjunction with a physical therapist who uses a control pad to actuate the suit for the patient in an effort to get the wearer used to power-assistive locomotion. The second mode is known as ‘ActiveStep’ which places the controls on the suits crutches allowing the wearer to be in full control of the exoskeleton while the third mode, called ‘ProStep’ puts the computer in control of assisted movement and uses the sensors to read the wearers intended movements and follows in kind. As of now the EKSO suit is only available to medical institutions and clinics (over 3 dozen have been sold at this point), however beginning in 2014 it should be available to individuals meeting the requirements (height, weight and upper-body strength) for around $100,000 US.
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