Walk Efficiently Using Lower Leg Exoskeleton

0 Flares Filament.io 0 Flares ×

Lower-leg-exoskeletonYou might be wondering that how can a Lower Leg Exoskeleton increase the efficiency of our walk? Efficiency of our walk! What’s this? Efficiency of walk is nothing but the amount of energy required to walk a fixed distance.

Yes! It is obvious that we need energy to do the work. So, the same goes with walking. Now, why do we need to increase the efficiency of our walk? The answer is simple, people who walk regularly on a flat surface need not think about increasing their walking efficiency. But people who love and practice tracking, mountaineering etc. know the pain behind their efforts.

To decrease these efforts, researchers from North Carolina State and Carnegie Mellon have developed an exoskeleton – Leg-Mounted Exoskeleton. This Lower Leg-Mounted Exoskeleton is built without any motors and does not involve the usage of electricity.

Also Read: Gadgets for Housewives

What is an Exoskeleton?

Before knowing about this Lower Leg Exoskeleton, it is important to know what actually an exoskeleton is.

Exoskeleton is a wearable gadget. Yes! Exoskeleton is a gadget that can be worn on our body or body parts. The main usage of these wearable exoskeletons is to simplify our work. This simplification of the work is done in terms of energy that we use to complete our work. Exoskeleton’s can be termed as Mini-Robots.


Lower Leg Exoskeleton

This wearable exoskeleton gadget is quite simple in terms of construction. Each frame of this Leg-Mounted Exoskeleton is made up of carbon fiber and consists of a spring. This spring will connect the below part of our knee (attached to a mechanical clutch) from back, to the back part of our foot.

Working of Lower Leg Exoskeleton

When our Achilles tendon (fibrous tissue that connects bones and muscle of the back leg) are stretched, the clutch gets engaged. The spring attached acts as an additional tendon, stretches and stores energy. Now the clutch releases, when the leg pushes or pressures down in order to unleash (release) the elastic energy.

As of now there is no word on the release date and price of a leg-mounted exoskeleton.

Also Read: Samsung Gear VR


Lower Leg exoskeleton is a good attempt made by the developers. The only disadvantage of this wearable exoskeleton for leg is that it makes an unpleasant sound while walking. Apart from this the efficiency of this Leg-Mounted exoskeleton is only 7% which is less. But let us appreciate it, by remembering and believing that something is better than nothing. So, what do you think? Will this exoskeleton for leg prove to be a useful gadget? Share your views below in the comments.

Leave a Reply


Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.