When we believe of exoskeletons, we tend to believe along comic book lines: mechanical fits bestowing superhero stamina upon the villain. however maybe a lot more functional utilizes for exoskeletons exists: restoring the capability to walk, for instance, or as in the situation of these exoskeleton shorts, stopping hip fractures by detecting as well as correcting falls before they happen.
Falls as well as the debilitating injuries that can result are a cruel truth of life for the elderly, as well as anything that can potentially alleviate them might be a significant boon to public health. Falls commonly boil down to loss of balance from slipping, whether it be a loose rug, a patch of ice, or even the proverbial banana peel. The “Active Pelvic Orthosis” established by [Vito Monaco] as well as colleagues seeks to sense slips as well as right them by applying the right torque to the hip joints. Looking a bit bulky in their prototype type as well as still tethered to an outside computer, the shorts have motors with harmonic drives as well as angle sensors for every hip, plus accelerometers to find the kinematic signature of a slip. The researchers found that forcing the leg that slipped ahead while driving the steady leg back assisted minimize the possibility of a fall. The video below shows the shorts in action stopping falls on a slip-inducing treadmill.
At the Hackaday Unconference in Pasadena, we heard from [Raul Ocampo] on his concept for autonomous robots to catch falling seniors. maybe using the robot will end up being a much better idea.