For people paralyzed from the waist down, this is a dream come true: a newexoskeleton that will allow them to walk again. That's just what eLEGS promise to do.
Here's what the exoskeleton consists of:
The suit consists of a backpack-mounted controller connected to robotic legs. It is driven by four motors, one for each hip and knee. The ankle joint is controlled with passive springs that keep the foot angled so that it can be placed on the ground, heel to toe, as the leg steps. Sensors in the legs relay position information to the control unit, which determines how to bend the joints and, in turn, walk. Onboard lithium-cobalt batteries allow the suit to be operated without a tether to a power source.The device is currently being prepped for clinical trials, and they hope to have it out to the people who could really use it as soon as possible. It'll be pretty amazing when we'll have people who were once confined to wheelchairs walking around again.
Via New Scientist
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