A team has produced a new design for an exosuit to aid the physically challenged.

Labelled the Open Exosuit for Differently Abled, the exosuit works in tandem with a walker. Its main feature is being able to allow people who have muscular weakness in their lower limbs to manoeuvre without the assistance of a carer, thus giving them more control and independence. 

According to the project’s creators, this concept was created in response to the inadequate amount of rehabilitation devices produced for people with lower limb disability.

“A major problem these patients suffer is their dependency on a caretaker for basic tasks such as toiletries and fetching water or food for themselves. Our product has been specifically designed to tackle these daily struggles within a work-space or home-space.”, said the project’s website. 

The walker incorporates both a joystick and a fixed O-LED display which gives the user three different options: walk, sit, or stand. By choosing either of these options, the walker is able to send commands to the exosuit via a Bluetooth connection which then enables the motors in the legs of the exosuit to perform the selected process.

It’s still in the early days of its development, but the Open Exosuit for Differently Abled project is being entered into the 2020 Hackaday Prize. If successful, the team will receive funds to further develop their concept.