For the third year in a row, the Wearable Robotics Association will host its Innovation Challenge, providing anyone from solo developers to small companies with the opportunity to show their prototypes and ideas in front of the movers and shakers of the exoskeleton industry! The top finalists will be provided with display space and in what was a [more]
The Toyota Mobility Foundation and Nesta’s Challenge Prize Centre have teamed up together to create the Mobility Unlimited Challenge with a whopping $4 million prize fund! Unlike many similar competitions over the years, the Mobility Unlimited Challenge was specifically designed with exoskeleton developers in mind. How does the Mobility [more]
Nicolas Rojas has created an exoskeleton hand primarily for stroke survivors. This exoskeleton has 12 degrees of freedom and it uses just one motor and a bar linkage. The Exo-Hand mechanism can be fully customized and tailored for every patient for comfort while retaining efficiency. The mechanical glove can run independently for 1.5-2 hours [more]
What is the cheapest exoskeleton that you can build? We have seen home made exoskeletons that can lift heavy weights, up to and including lifting the back of a car. But these wearable projects are good at attracting a lot of views, and not much else. If you speak with their builders, they are more than ready to admit that the exoskeletons [more]
We live in a digital age, and that has changed how people communicate. Two complete strangers can now have a discussion on any subject across continents and oceans alike. But you don’t really know a person until you have worked with them on a project. The digital age has a solution for that too in the form of open source, [more]
EduExo is an information platform on wearable robotics technology. The organization is currently developing the first-ever robotic exoskeleton development kit. The goal is to make exoskeleton technology more accessible. The intent is for an affordable STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) kit for students, teachers, makers and [more]
There is a tremendous opportunity on the horizon for all exoskeleton developers and enthusiasts. Whether you are part of a research lab, a company or a do-it-yourself creator, the WearRAcon17 Innovation Competition is your chance to be recognized. Oh, and did we mention that there will be a cash price of $5000 too?! Have you ever dreamed of [more]
This June the LEGO Group released its first minifigure wheelchair. The wheelchair comes in set 60134 Fun in the Park – City People Pack. This is a huge development for the LEGO Group and people with disabilities. In all fairness, LEGO already has a DUPLO scale wheelchair piece, but it is still surprising that it took the company so [more]
Definitely one of the strangest exoskeleton projects, a London designer has created an orthotic that turns him into a goat. This wearable, which has gone through multiple revisions and includes some quite complicated engineering, allows its user to move on all fours like an Alpine goat. Its creator, Thomas Thwaites, wanted to spend one week [more]
The new generation of powered exoskeleton creators is here! Sebastian Torres-Wilcken has made a Pneumatic Exoskeleton For Assisted Motion And Strength, and he is still in high school! This is really exciting as the vast majority of young and budding engineers tend to focus on much more popular topics such as drone and software research. [more]
The HomeBrew Robotics Club (HBRC) invited Chris Tacklind and Cameron Tacklind to demonstrate their first simplified implementation of a low cost brushless motor and control system. This enthusiastic, self-funded father and son team came up with the idea of using cheap but powerful hobby airplane motors. Model airplane brushless motors are [more]
The most popular homebrew exoskeleton enthusiast, James Hobson, aka The Hacksmith is back! You probably know him from his homemade upper arm pneumatic exoskeleton that allows him to curl up to 275 pounds (125kg). The Hacksmith has returned with a brand new exoskeleton based on the popular computer game title Call of Duty (CoD). In his [more]
Here are the 8 most interesting builds that were completed or published in 2015 as selected by the Exoskeleton Report (ExR) team. Overall 2015 was a great year for homemade, scratch built and do-it-yourself (DIY) exoskeletons, exosuits and wearable robotics! Because all of the different exoskeletons had different design goals, it would be [more]
Now anyone can get involved in the exoskeleton industry! Presenting a wearable robot constructed entirely out of Legos! This is a powered, hip-knee exoskeleton made using 4 LEGO NXT controllers and 12 first generation LEGO NXT motors powered by 24 AA batteries and attached by double-sided velcro. Three motors are attached to each hip and [more]
Some of the greatest companies have started out as small do-it-yourself (DIY) projects in someone’s garage. Apple, Harley Davidson, HP, Mattel and many others all began as tiny enterprises in a residential zone. Therefore, it makes sense to not only follow the exoskeletons developed by academics in research labs and engineers in [more]
In martial arts, there is a saying that 1 minute of practice is worth 1000 minutes of theory. But how would someone go about making a Do It Yourself (DIY) powered exoskeleton? The solution is to start by concentrating all efforts on a single joint. The knee and the elbow are the two easiest joints to connect to and actuate. Different [more]
Who said that making an exoskeleton is for PhD engineers backed by multi-million dollar companies?! A group of high school students from the San Francisco Bay Area are working on a powered exoskeleton, the AJAX, in a garage in preparation for the May 2015 Maker Fair. You can see the student’s video showing their progress below: The AJAX [more]
