{"id":1027,"date":"2019-12-13T04:24:35","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T04:24:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.danielparente.net\/en\/2019\/12\/13\/humanity-has-officially-entered-the-era-of-the-exosuit\/"},"modified":"2019-12-13T04:24:35","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T04:24:35","slug":"humanity-has-officially-entered-the-era-of-the-exosuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danielparente.net\/en\/2019\/12\/13\/humanity-has-officially-entered-the-era-of-the-exosuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Humanity Has Officially Entered the Era of the Exosuit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I<\/span> loved the Thundercats<\/a><\/em> cartoon as a child, watching cat-like humanoids fighting the forces of evil. Whenever their leader was in trouble, he\u2019d unleash the Sword of Omens to gain \u201csight beyond sight,\u201d the ability to see events happening at faraway places, or bellow \u201cThunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats, Hooo!<\/a>\u201d to instantaneously summon his allies to his location to join the fight. What kid didn\u2019t want those superpowers?<\/p>\n

I also wanted Green Lantern\u2019s ring<\/a>, Wonder Woman\u2019s bracelets<\/a>, Captain America\u2019s shield<\/a>, and, of course, Batman\u2019s batsuit<\/a>. I never imagined then that 30 years later, as National Superhero Day<\/a> approaches, I\u2019d be designing components of my own supersuits.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t really notice this until a few months ago. On that day, my childhood dreams were at once destroyed and fulfilled. Standing in a line, I noticed that everyone was focused on their smartphones\u2019 screens. Suddenly it hit me: I already had Sword of Omens superpowers. With my smartphone, I can see video of faraway events and text my friends to meet up. Billions of people<\/a> now have what used to be considered superpowers.<\/p>\n

But what about the physical superpowers? I wanted those, too \u2014 like superhuman endurance or strength. Those may not be too far behind. I\u2019m working on them in Vanderbilt\u2019s Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology<\/a>. Humanity has begun to enter the age of wearable exoskeletons and exosuits<\/a> that offer support and strength<\/a> to people\u2019s bodies.<\/p>\n

\"exosuit\"\/<\/source><\/picture>
A spring-powered back-support exosuit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Exoskeletons Under Development<\/h2>\n

Over the past five years, wearable exoskeletons<\/a> that assist and aid movement have begun to shift out of research labs and into public use. They\u2019re still early versions, and the science is still emerging, but they include the first of several<\/a> FDA-approved<\/a> exoskeletons<\/a> to assist individuals with spinal cord injury or after stroke, as well as exoskeletons to help keep workers safe<\/a> and reduce the fatigue of physically demanding jobs.<\/p>\n

Toyota even requires workers to wear exoskeletons as mandatory personal protective equipment<\/a> when performing certain overhead work tasks where fatigue and muscle stress could lead to injury.<\/p>\n

However, most people who could potentially benefit don\u2019t yet have access to exoskeletons because they\u2019re generally too bulky, too expensive, interfere too much with other tasks, or are not yet comfortable enough to wear. I\u2019ve become fascinated by the prospect of regular people turning themselves into everyday superheroes.<\/p>\n

No, really: Where is it?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Preventing Injuries With Supersuits<\/h2>\n

From my research lab<\/a>, I can walk across the street and within two minutes and be at the Veterans Affairs Hospital or the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The nurses and other medical professionals who perform strenuous lifting, leaning, and carrying tasks to care for patients are likely to develop low back pain<\/a> \u2014 or may already be experiencing it. A supersuit could help prevent this pain.<\/p>\n

Low back pain is a complex problem with many potential sources, but one common source is due to stress from repetitive forces on the muscles and discs. Most adults experience low back pain at some point in their lifetime, and it\u2019s a leading cause of physical disability<\/a>. The prestigious medical journal The Lancet<\/em> recently published a three-part series<\/a> calling on everyone \u2014 from national and international policymakers to funding agencies to researchers, engineers, and clinicians<\/a> \u2014 to help improve the effectiveness of care and develop innovative new solutions to combat this global epidemic.<\/p>\n

Over the last three years, the research team I lead has been developing a clothing-like exoskeleton<\/a>, which might be more aptly described as mechanized clothing<\/a>, a spring-powered exosuit, or even just a supersuit. It consists of a vest and shorts made of common clothing materials, plus assistive fabric elastic bands and a switch that lets the wearer turn the suit\u2019s assistance on or off<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How a back-support system works to relieve pain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it\u2019s switched off, the wearer can move freely and fully<\/a>, which isn\u2019t typically the case with exoskeletons<\/a>. Our suit doesn\u2019t have any motors or batteries and weighs less than three pounds. No part of it protrudes out from the body, so it\u2019s easily concealed under everyday clothes.<\/p>\n

At any moment, though, it can be switched on, so the suit\u2019s elastic bands bear some of the load that typically goes through the person\u2019s back muscles. In an initial series of laboratory tests, the suit reduced loading on the low back muscles<\/a> by about 20% during lifting and up to 40% during leaning, and it reduced the rate at which back muscles fatigue<\/a> by 30% to 40%, on average.<\/p>\n

A \u201csupersuit\u201d reduces lower back muscle strain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In laboratory tests, people using an assistive spring-powered exosuit had to use less of their total maximum muscle power to perform various tasks than when they performed the same tasks without the exosuit.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"exosuit<\/source><\/picture>
Chart:\u00a0The Conversation, CC-BY-ND\u00a0\u00a0Source:\u00a0Lamers, Yang and Zelik (2018)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We recently formed a spinoff company from this research, aptly named HeroWear LLC, to make this supersuit available to individuals and organizations who might benefit. We expect the product to be on the market in 2020. We have also begun a multi-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health<\/a> to integrate wearable sensors and machine learning into our supersuits. With those additions, we may be able to develop future suits that monitor stress on the wearer\u2019s back and automatically activate the assistance when it\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n

Boundless Possibilities for Supersuits<\/h2>\n

The goal for many exoskeletons is like that of a good cartoon supersuit \u2014not to do the work for its wearer but to enhance and support that person\u2019s natural abilities. Assisting back muscles is just the beginning. We have also designed a similar spring-powered exosuit to assist the ankle muscles<\/a> during walking and running. It may help increase endurance or reduce force on calf muscles and tendons as someone recovers from an injury.<\/p>\n

Similar supersuits might also be designed to support the necks of nurses and surgeons who lean forward for long periods of time during procedures, or to reduce arm fatigue for a construction worker carrying heavy objects, or for a parent carrying a child.<\/p>\n

\"exosuit<\/source><\/picture>
An exosuit for the ankle that assists ankle muscles when walking or running.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Teams across the globe are exploring a wide variety of wearable exoskeletons<\/a> as well. These include motorized exosuits to assist the legs<\/a>, arms<\/a>, and hands<\/a> of individuals recovering from stroke or other neurological injury, rigid robotic exoskeletons to assist people after spinal cord injury<\/a>, and passive spring-assist exoskeletons to support individuals\u2019 arms and shoulders<\/a> with tool handling or overhead work in factories and shipyards.<\/p>\n

Through the use of wearable sensors and biomechanical algorithms, supersuits might even be trained to teach proper lifting technique or to provide resistance training to help strengthen weak muscles and enhance fitness.<\/p>\n

My hope is that 30 years from now \u2014 by the time my children are my age \u2014 performance-enhancing supersuits will be as common and mundane in society as smartphones are today. Perhaps people might even forget the amazing physical superpowers that they provide and take for granted supersuits\u2019 individual and societal benefits to health, fitness, and well-being.<\/p>\n

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This article was originally published on The Conversation<\/a> by Karl Zelik<\/a>. Read the original article here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n