Exoskeletons

Ride-hailing services, electric vehicles, delivery robots, and self-driving cars and trucks are changing transportation at the fastest pace in decades. Toyota Motor Corp. has been a leader among automakers in expanding its focus to personal mobility. The Toyota Mobility Unlimited Challenge is a three-year, $4 million competition for improving mobility for people with disabilities. At…

Many of the most visible demonstrations of exoskeletons have been for assisting people with disabilities. However, limitations of weight, power, and cost have resulted in slow rates of adoption. In the meantime, the technology continues to advance, with industrial exoskeletons providing application experience. While the majority of today’s $130 million wearable robotics market is for…

The exoskeleton sector continues to evolve, and in some sense has begun
 to normalize. The medical, business and technical press has long reported on exoskeleton technologies designed for medical rehabilitation and as mobility aids, even though commercial success and large-scale adoption has not yet been realized. Recently, however, reportage, along with focus of a number…

Certainly you’ve seen exoskeletons for medical and industrial use. But for skiers? Yes, there’s an exoskeleton now for that too. Roam Robotics, a San Francisco-based startup, closed a $12 million Series A round of funding. Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. led the investment round with participation from existing and new investors Boost VC, Heuristics Capital Partners,…

  In the future, a smart textile-based soft exosuit could be worn by soldiers, fire fighters and rescue workers to help them traverse difficult terrain and arrive fresh at their destinations so that they can perform their respective tasks more effectively. They could also become a powerful means to enhance mobility and quality of living…

Seismic, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based startup formerly known as Superflex, today unveiled its Powered Clothing line. And the company wants you to know: this is not an exoskeleton. Seismic CEO and co-founder Rich Mahoney, well-respected in robotics circles, says the Powered Clothing “fuses discreet robotics with textiles” to act as an extension of the human…

Sarcos Robotics secured $30 million in Series B funding. The funding will help scale production and deployment of its Guardian S inspection and surveillance robot and prepare for the launch of its Guardian XO powered industrial exoskeleton in late 2019. The Series B funding was co-led by DIG Investment and Alex. Brown & Sons. Each of the Series A investors also participated in the Series B, including Caterpillar…

After successful pilots at two plants in Dearborn, Michigan the past 16 months, Ford is rolling out 75 upper body EksoVest exoskeletons across 15 automotive plants worldwide. The automaker has partnered with Ekso Bionics to augment its employee’s capabilities in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Romania, China and Thailand in the coming months. The is the largest…

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in June 2018 revised its national policy for ReWalk Robotics‘ powered exoskeleton for qualifying veterans with spinal cord injuries (SCI). The revision expands access to training program locations among the VA network and private rehabilitation centers throughout the VA’s Veterans Choice Program. The updated policy also includes further…

Clinical trials for the ReWalk Robotics ReStore soft exoskeleton are expanding to five research centers in the United States. The centers involved in the ReWalk Robotics ReStore trials include the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (Chicago), Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (Boston), the MossRehab Stroke and Neurological Disease Center (Elkins Park, PA), TIRR Memorial Hermann (Houston), and the Kessler Foundation (East…

The Festo Bionic Learning Network has released it latest biomimicry innovations to support ongoing research in engineering, manufacturing, and materials science drawn from natural systems. Here are the 2018 additions to the Festo Bionic Learning Network: A transforming spider that rolls or creeps A robotic fish that autonomously maneuvers through acrylic water-filled tubing A semi-autonomous flying…

“Exoskeletons” are those mechanical devices or soft materials worn by patients/operators, whose construction mirrors the structure of operator’s limbs, joints, and muscles, works in tandem with them. Exoskeletons are used as a capabilities amplifier, assistive device, haptic controller, or for rehabilitation. Exoskeletons stand in contrast to non-articulated mechanisms such as braces and slings that do…

maxon motor has developed an exoskeleton drive for use in robotic limbs. This complete joint actuation unit consists of a pancake brushless DC motor with inertia optimized rotor. According to maxon, also included with the exoskeleton drive is an internal high resolution encoder, planetary gearhead with absolute encoder, and a position controller with CAN and RS232 interface. Exoskeleton…

ReWalk Robotics, which develops rigid and soft exoskeletons to help people walk again after injuries and strokes, is expanding into China expand thanks to a $20 million investment from Hong Kong-based Timwell Corporation Limited. ReWalk and Timwell affiliate companies will form a joint venture in China to develop, manufacture and market ReWalk’s exoskeletons in China,…

Researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied and Sciences (SEAS) are using machine learning to personalize the controls of soft exosuits. The machine learning algorithm rapidly identifies the best control parameters for the soft exosuit to minimize the amount energy the human…

ReWalk Robotics today saw shares dip slightly after releasing preliminary financial results for its 3rd quarter despite posting revenues ahead of consensus on Wall Street. The Israel-based company said it expects to post sales of $1.7 million for the 3 months ended Sept. 30, up 21.4% from the $1.4 million the company posted for the…

ReWalk Robotics said today it completed all internal processes related to its Restore robotic rehabilitation softsuit exoskeleton and is ready to initiate clinical trials of the device in 2018, with hopes for a commercial launch in the same year. The Restore softsuit is designed to transmit power to key joints in the legs with cable…

Robotic exoskeleton developer Wandercraft has raised $17.8 million in a Series B funding round, according to a ZDNet report. Funds from the round are slated to support certifications and regulatory clearances necessary to bring the exoskeleton to market, according to the report. The Paris-based company claims that its exoskeleton is the 1st to have managed…

The BioRobotics Institute spin-off Iuvo has received an undisclosed joint investment from automation company Comau and orthopedics group Össur to support the development of wearable intelligent robotic exoskeletons. The spin-off, founded in 2015, looks to focus initially on research and development and an eventual launch of new wearable robotic technologies, according to a release from…

A new robot from MIT can adapt its capabilities with a simple outfit change. The tiny robot called Primer, developed by the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, puts on different exoskeletons allowing it to roll, float, drive and even glide. Primer starts as a cube, but uses heat to put on the new exoskeleton,…

The first robotic exoskeleton that is designed to treat crouch gait in children who have cerebral palsy, has been created by The National Institute of Health. Crouch gait occurs when there is an excessive bending of the knees while walking. It is a common condition in children with cerebral palsy. The NIH reports that even with…