Beyond tomorrow we are all going to wear some sort of exoskeleton. They will help us do heavier work with less strain on our bodies. The next generation exosuits are currently being developed by Harvard Biodesign Lab. When finalized, they will be a set of soft exosuits that can be worn like regular clothes. There are already several prototypes to prove the concept, and it looks promising.
These soft exosuits will augment the capabilities of healthy individuals as well as people with muscle weaknesses. Patients who suffer from physical or neurological disorders are also going to benefit from using these exosuits.
The suits are made possible through the development of innovative textiles. Simply explained, these textiles provide means to transmit assistive torques to a wearer’s joints without the use of rigid external structures. No more bulky metal hinges, rods, and gears. All flexible textiles that through the understanding of human biomechanics and anatomy can increase our human capabilities.
As I read through the report, it sounds more like something out of an Iron Man movie. On top of the already ingenious textile design, the garments also hold advanced integrated sensor systems to further increase performance. The prototype soft exosuits look a lot like the spacesuits worn by the crew of the Sulaco in the movie Alien. Whether they have been inspired by them or if it is just by coincidence, I don’t know.
As progress keeps making the suit more powerful, there is no word on when these soft exosuits will be made available on the market. Perhaps they never will be. One thing is for sure, however, and that is that once they finalized, we are going to see a lot of superhuman grandmas out there.
Also, as there is no telling when the suits will be done, it’s impossible to estimate a price. I can’t imagine them being anywhere near cheap. What do you think? Fancy a couple of soft exosuits that will make you superhuman? Let us know in the comment section below.
Harvard Biodesign Lab Next Generation Soft Exosuits
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