Which is the best way to control a wearable robot? The answer to this question is heavily dependent on 3 main factors: the mechatronic hardware chosen by the designers, the tasks where the robot needs to assist (bending forward, lifting, >0 trunk angle static postures,…), and the tasks where the user needs to be free […]
While passive lower back support exoskeletons might be simpler, cheaper and less prone to error, they also lack versatility. An active exoskeleton on the other hand has the potential to dynamically adjust the support as needed. To explore these active options, two active exoskeletons are being built – one hydraulically and one electrically actuated. By […]
We presented the current advances in Spexor project at the annual meeting of the COST Action on Wearable Robots for Augmentation, Assistance or Substitution of Human Motor Functions on March 19, 2019 at University Politehnica of Bucharest in Romania.
We presented the the work of Spexor and demonstrated our prototype at the Exoskeletons and Soft Wearable Robotics Day on march 14, 2019 in Amsterdam. The event featured live demonstration of multiple exoskeletons and prototypes in action, key note talks held by experts in the field of wearable robotics and a Swiss start-up, and pitches […]
The consortium successfully presented the progress of their work at the second review meeting at VUB in Brussels, Belgium on March 12, 2019.
In collaboration with COST Action on Wearable Robots we co-organized Winter School on Wearable Robots in in the winter sports town of Kranjska Gora in Slovenia. Summary of the event was published in Exoskeleton Report.
It is a widespread assumption that motions of humans and animals are carried out in an optimal way due to evolution, learning and training. The behavior under certain circumstances such as pain or fatigue can also be considered as the result of an optimization process. Since most of these optimizations are unintentional and unconscious, the […]
In spite of the remarkable advances in the field of exoskeletons, lack of wearability and ease-of-use is still an important technological barrier that often impedes the acceptability of exoskeletons among the healthy individuals. To overcome this barrier in the design of SPEXOR exoskeleton, we developed a special combination of joints that compensate the misalignment between […]
Medical Design Briefs reported on our recent evaluations of SPEXOR passive exoskeleton.
We performed a comprehensive evaluation of the new version of our passive SPEXOR exoskeleton, assessing the effect of wearing the exoskeleton on biomechanical loading of the spine, functionality, user satisfaction and self-efficacy. Recruiting employees from load-handling professions we tested participants with and without low back pain. We concluded that we reached beyond the state of […]
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 687662.