What would you do with a robotic exoskeleton?

Rescue cats from burning buildings, save the world and win the heart of the girl/boy/? of your dreams and so
on? Of course feats of derring do are related to the challenges the protagonist has to overcome. Austin Whitney, a double major in History and Political Science, chose to overcome a different challenge when given the chance to use an exoskeleton. Whitney, a paraplegic since 2007 after a car accident severed his spinal cord, used the machine to walk across the platform during his graduation ceremony at the University of California at Berkeley.

This was made possible by Berkeley’s Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory. Homayoon  Kazerooni, Director of the Laboratory, asked Whitney to be part of an opportunity to design a cheaper exoskeleton that would be affordable to the public. Of course cheaper here is relative, the cost they’re aiming for is around the $15,000 mark, which might seem expensive to some people. But the cost of giving someone the use of their legs back goes beyond financial expense. Kazerooni and his team usually design robotic exoskeletons for the US army who subsidise such research. So for the creation of this affordable version they had to overcome numerous challenges such as the problems inherent in using less than the optimum number of motors.

These challenges were overcome though, despite last minute problems, and Austin Whitney managed to walk across the dais at his graduation accompanied by the applause of his peers. Since graduating Austin has moved smoothly into the job market getting his first job as a tester for bionic legs. The field of exoskeleton and robotics is something that we have only really just begun to explore. Hardiman by General Electric created the first functioning powered exoskeleton in 1965, and though advancements have been made the super-soldier of sci-fi films is a long way off. For now though, this moment is a demonstration of what people are capable of, not only in their ability to overcome challenges but also in their ability to help their fellows.

Do you need something designed, then why not submit a brief to the Creative Services Exchange.