Photo credit: Florian Haufe
ETH Zurich researchers have developed Myoshirt, a soft, wearable exomuscle that increases upper body strength for those with restricted mobility. Think of it as a high-tech vest with cuffs for the upper arms, along with a small box that contains all the technology that is not used directly on the body.
When Myoshirt works using the sensors embedded in the fabric, a smart algorithm detects the wearer’s intentional movements and the amount of force required. A motor then shortens a cable in the fabric running parallel to the wearer’s muscles, similar to a tendon, resulting in support for the desired movement. Most importantly, the user is always in total control and can override the device at any time. If you want something more extreme, Furrion Exo-Bionics’ mech racing suit is right up your alley.
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Although hospitals have numerous good therapy devices, they are often very expensive and unwieldy. And there are few technical aids that patients can use directly in their everyday lives and draw on for assistance in performing exercises at home. We want to close this gap,” said Marie Georgarakis, a former doctoral student at ETH Zurich’s Sensory Motor Systems Lab.