Exoskeletons

A robotic brace that supports the neck during its natural motion is the first device shown to dramatically assist ALS patients in holding their heads and actively supporting them during range of motion.

In this month’s issue of The Robot Report, a special print insert in Design World, we examine exoskeleton design, development, and uses in healthcare and industry.

The Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum, which is produced by WTWH Media and The Robot Report, is looking for speakers to share their expertise on the design, development, and manufacture of commercial healthcare robotics systems.

ASTM International is working on standards for assessing exoskeleton and exosuit usability.

A lot of people have lower limb mobility impairments, but there are few wearable technologies to enable them to walk normally while performing tasks of daily living. XoSoft, a European funded project, has brought together partners from all over Europe to develop a flexible, lightweight and resource-efficient soft exoskeleton prototype. Frail elderly, incomplete spinal cord…

Harvard graduate Hansjörg Wyss has given another major donation to support the Wyss Institute’s mission of developing and commercializing robotics and healthcare technologies.

Myomo is working with contract manufacturers for its MyoPro assistive devices, which use sensors, algorithms, and motors to help wearers regain upper-limb function.

ReWalk Robotics has won CE Mark clearance in the European Union for its ReStore soft exo-suit designed for use in stroke rehabilitation. The Marlborough, Mass.-based company touted the clearance as the first for a soft exo-suit in the region. The ReStore exo-suit features a soft, garment-like design and is intended to adaptively synchronize with a…

BERKELEY, Calif. — US Bionics Inc., doing business as suitX, this week announced the official launch of shoulderX V3, its third-generation wearable exoskeleton. The company said it is the world’s most advanced shoulder-supporting exoskeleton for use by automotive, construction, and shipbuilding workers. shoulderX augments its wearer by reducing forces at the shoulder complex, substantially reducing…

TAUNTON, Mass. — maxon precision motors inc., the U.S. division of Switzerland-based maxon motor AG, today officially opened its new U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Taunton, Mass. Building the new headquarters was a two-year process, said Chris Blake, president of maxon precision motors. “Taunton was very welcoming in a business and a social sense,”…

SALT LAKE CITY and BELLEVUE, Wash. — Today, Sarcos Robotics announced that it has been awarded a contract by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to deliver a pre-production version of its Guardian XO full-body, autonomously powered robotic exoskeleton. Sarcos‘ exoskeleton is capable of operating for up to eight hours per battery charge while…

Robotics investments totaled at least $4.3 billion in February 2019 in a steep increase from January, which had about $1.4 billion. In addition, companies reported approximately $3.9 billion worth of acquisitions this past month. Any political or economic jitters have not yet harmed the mood for robot deals. The Robotic Industries Association noted yesterday that robot…

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…