Scientists create a light exoskeleton for jogging

Scientists at Harvard University and the University of Nebraska have developed an ultra-lightweight skeleton. Despite its compact size, the exoskeleton is extremely efficient.

Modern exoskeletons are too cumbersome. To gain popularity, this type of devices need to made lighter and more compact. The device developed at Harvard and the University of Nebraska can serve as an example for manufacturers.

It features a control unit and a set of belts. With its weight a mere 5 kg, it is fixed around the user’s center of gravity, so the individual hardly feels the load. The invention is suitable for people of both sexes, all ages and bodily constitution: the exoskeleton easily adjusts to the wearer’s figure.

The built-in artificial intelligence analyses the user's movements and, depending on them, adjusts its own performance. The device has proved to be most eficinet for walking and jogging, reducing the user's energy consumption by 9% and 4%. There are more efficient models on the market, but all of them are very large and heavy.

There are plans to use the invention in health care. For example, to rehabilitate people who have suffered a spinal cord injury.