Toyota's ongoing bid to modernize wheelchairs has borne some fruit. The automaker has unveiled the five finalists for its $4 million Mobility Unlimited Challenge after three years of competition, and all of them promise to rethink how people with mo...
The honest reality is that the exoskeletons that are designed for mainstream use have a completely different purpose from those popularized by pop-culture. There’s a long way to go before we have flashy supersuits that make us fly, because the truth is that exoskeletons are capable of doing much more to help the common man, whether it’s a simple augmentation that helps workers sit wherever they are, or exoskeletons that give blue-collar workers enhanced strength to perform tasks they couldn’t prior to augmentation.
Take for instance Comau’s MATE (short for Muscular Aiding Tech Exoskeleton), a completely mechanical exoskeleton that augments its wearer’s lifting ability, while also helping maintain a correct posture. Working as an enabling as well as corrective device, the MATE works purely on a cleverly designed spring-based passive structure, eliminating the need for motors or batteries. Not only does this bring down the production cost of the exoskeleton, it’s also much more cost-effective from a maintenance standpoint too, and doesn’t need to use any electrical energy in the process. The MATE comes in two sizes (ideally for men and women) and with five different adjustable parts, depending on body-types. When strapped onto a worker, the MATE helps decrease workload, fatigue, and chances of injuries or physiological problems, and in turn, increase productivity, efficiency, and job satisfaction.
Today, LG announced that it will reveal its first robotic exoskeleton at IFA 2018, which takes place in Berlin from August 31st to September 5th. The exoskeleton, called LG CLOi SuitBot, is designed to support a user's legs to allow for more limb str...
You'll often see positive news stories coming out of the tech press involving robotics projects that are designed to help people with mobility issues. Exoskeletons, like Toyota's WelWalk, ReWalk, and Ekso Bionics' eponymous walking frame, help people...
This is the Furrion Prothesis exoskeleton. It is a giant 8,000-pound mech that should be saved for our defense when Godzilla and his enemies show up. Apparently, it’s designed for mech racing, but it could also be used to destroy homes and small cities while stomping civilians into dust.
It is an impressive beast, but it does have some drawbacks. For instance, the exoskeleton’s battery lasts only about an hour.That’s not ideal if you’re gonna be fighting giant monsters. It can allegedly do 20 mph and jump 10 feet high, although sadly we don’t see any proof of that in the video. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that’s BS. This thing has some cool tusks though. Not sure what those are for, other than to look awesome.
Anyway, mech racing is a thing now and apparently, the X-Mech Racing League is coming soon. I’m not sure how exciting these races are going to be since these mechs don’t go all that fast. Maybe they will have obstacles and stuff, but even so, it still doesn’t seem very exciting. But what do I know? I’m just another human to be crushed under the feet of these gigantic mechanical athletes.
Skiing and snowboarding aren't gentle on your body, especially if you're taking on a challenging run or plan on a long day. Now, however, technology might ease your burden. Roam Robotics has unveiled an exoskeleton built expressly to reduce the bur...
Over 100 years ago, the moving assembly line, invented by Ford Motor Company under the leadership of Henry Ford, revolutionized automotive production. Even though a lot of the steps in this assembly line has been replaced by robotic arms, there are still an alarming amount of workers who must raise their arms in order to fix or add various elements to the vehicles. It’s said that some workers on the assembly line lift their arms an average of 4,600 times per day, or about 1 million times per year, increasing the possibility of fatigue or injury.
Due to the extensive overhead work required by each worker, the EksoVest will provide the user with 5-15lbs of lift assistance, ideal for any action required under the vehicle. Some of these activities might include pushing in fastener rivets, snapping fuel lines into place or simply using any drill or impact drivers or torque wrenches.
With a mixture of carbon fiber, steel tubing, and blue interaction point highlights, the EksoVest is a cool addition to the rugged labor-some lifestyle. Aware that the EksoVest is designed to prevent workplace injury, it goes without saying that this vest is amongst one of the more impressive looking exoskeletons I’ve seen in the recent months.
Companies are starting to propose functioning exoskeletons for real applications, from soldier support to helping paraplegic patients walk. But they could also be customized to help everyday workers with their harder tasks, as Lowe's lift-easing prot...
There's a reason you've never seen fully autonomous exoskeletons that help the disabled walk without crutches: Building one is crazy hard. But the founders of a Paris-based startup called Wandercraft are uniquely qualified to do it. They're roboticis...
There's a reason you've never seen fully autonomous exoskeletons that help the disabled walk without crutches: Building one is crazy hard. But the founders of a Paris-based startup called Wandercraft are uniquely qualified to do it. They're roboticis...
Toyota's ongoing bid to modernize wheelchairs has borne some fruit. The automaker has unveiled the five finalists for its $4 million Mobility Unlimited Challenge after three years of competition, and all of them promise to rethink how people with mo...
Today, LG announced that it will reveal its first robotic exoskeleton at IFA 2018, which takes place in Berlin from August 31st to September 5th. The exoskeleton, called LG CLOi SuitBot, is designed to support a user's legs to allow for more limb str...
You'll often see positive news stories coming out of the tech press involving robotics projects that are designed to help people with mobility issues. Exoskeletons, like Toyota's WelWalk, ReWalk, and Ekso Bionics' eponymous walking frame, help people...
Skiing and snowboarding aren't gentle on your body, especially if you're taking on a challenging run or plan on a long day. Now, however, technology might ease your burden. Roam Robotics has unveiled an exoskeleton built expressly to reduce the bur...
Companies are starting to propose functioning exoskeletons for real applications, from soldier support to helping paraplegic patients walk. But they could also be customized to help everyday workers with their harder tasks, as Lowe's lift-easing prot...
There's a reason you've never seen fully autonomous exoskeletons that help the disabled walk without crutches: Building one is crazy hard. But the founders of a Paris-based startup called Wandercraft are uniquely qualified to do it. They're roboticis...