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In his article, Could this ankle exoskeleton help stroke survivors with mobility problems?, David McNamee of Medical News Today reports on an exciting new development in mobility by researchers from both Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and North Carolina State University in Raleigh. This newly developed exoskeletal device can help people with mobility issues (such as recovering stroke-victims and the elderly) by making walking significantly easier.
McNamee reports that the difference when wearing it feels similar to walking after taking off a 10-pound backpack. This is particularly amazing considering that the device is not powered in any way.
What these researchers discovered while working on creating this life-changing device is that, “Walking is more complicated than you might think.” They learned more about the biometrics of walking, including how the calf muscle operates, by reviewing numerous ultrasound images. They wanted to create something that would allow walkers to expend less energy and that would relieve the toll placed on the calf muscle.
Creating the device was made even more difficult by the fact that adding a lot of weight to the legs would eliminate any of the device’s benefits. It was therefore important to keep the device as lightweight as possible. Many engineers believed that such a thing was impossible.
And yet, the development team prevailed. To say that this is a fascinating technical development is an understatement. You can learn more about the research and work in involved in creating this device by reading the full article here. There is even a video showing this device being used by an actual person.
