{"id":161683,"date":"2022-12-18T22:56:05","date_gmt":"2022-12-18T22:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/these-real-world-iron-man-boots-gave-me-a-robotic-spring-in-my-step\/"},"modified":"2022-12-18T22:56:05","modified_gmt":"2022-12-18T22:56:05","slug":"these-real-world-iron-man-boots-gave-me-a-robotic-spring-in-my-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/these-real-world-iron-man-boots-gave-me-a-robotic-spring-in-my-step\/","title":{"rendered":"These ‘Real-World Iron Man’ Boots Gave Me a Robotic Spring in My Step"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The future of walking assistance might not come from a cane or a walking frame, but instead from a pair of robotic exoskeleton boots. <\/p>\n

That’s the vision of researchers at Stanford University’s Biomechatronics Lab, who’ve developed their first untethered exoskeleton designed to give people a motorized boost to their step as they walk. I’ve come to Stanford for CNET’s What the Future<\/span> video series to put the exoskeletons through their paces (quite literally) and see if my speedy walk can be powered up, superhero style. <\/p>\n

Patrick Slade, the postdoctoral scholar behind the exoskeleton design, has given me a lot of hope on that front. <\/p>\n

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A close-up of the portable ankle exoskeleton, developed by Stanford University’s Biomechatronics Lab.<\/p>\n

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Kurt Hickman\/Stanford University
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“This is the real-world Iron Man,” he says. “It’s basically a motorized shoe. … By replacing your calf function with a motor, we can really put a boost in your step and help you walk more easily and more quickly.”<\/p>\n

The exoskeleton fits onto your foot with a regular shoe (albeit one retrofitted with sensors), which is attached to the calf via a carbon fiber brace and wires. As you walk, a motor behind the calf winds up a cable connected to the shoe, allowing you to push off the ground more easily. <\/p>\n

But the added secret to this exoskeleton is that it learns the way you walk, the longer you wear it. A machine learning system built in to each boot takes input from sensors across the exoskeleton to understand how your ankle is moving and when your foot is making contact with the ground. It then adapts the motor and power to customize the lift to your gait. <\/p>\n