This is kind of dangerous. Something like this that is not tested can pretty much kill you if it fails in anyway. You’ll just fall to the ground from about 5 ft, which is often enough to do something bad to your skull.
Isn't he wearing a helmet?
Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
41–50 of 200 posts
Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#42I've been making my own, purely as a pipe-dream to have some hope of walking again, it's not easy but I'm hoping it'll be a better fit than consumer ones, and probably cheaper. I feel like we've made leaps and bounds in prosthetics this past decade but orthotics and exoskeletons haven't been following the trend for some reason. As an engineer I imagine there are some significant design constraints that make it hard b…
Size variation, maybe? If you're building an industrial robot you control the size precisely, but if you've got to make everything variable - and not just variable, but to be as comfortable as clothes - I can see that throwing a hell of a lot of complexity into the mix.
I mean in theory the motors and controllers are identical across all builds, but since the length of the rotating pieces is variable, the angles of rotation might remain the same but the leverage and hence the torque vary by quite a bit. Bigger people have longer limbs, and bigger people also weigh more.
Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#43This is kind of dangerous. Something like this that is not tested can pretty much kill you if it fails in anyway. You’ll just fall to the ground from about 5 ft, which is often enough to do something bad to your skull.
If you're worried about this, wait until you hear about the parents who give their kids bicycles and skateboards!
Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#44Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#45I've been making my own, purely as a pipe-dream to have some hope of walking again, it's not easy but I'm hoping it'll be a better fit than consumer ones, and probably cheaper. I feel like we've made leaps and bounds in prosthetics this past decade but orthotics and exoskeletons haven't been following the trend for some reason. As an engineer I imagine there are some significant design constraints that make it hard b…
We live in a world where prices are usually set by the constraints of mass production. We have trouble accepting the cost of custom-made things. Hearing aids can be ridiculously expensive. Custom keyboards at least are not quite so ridiculous.
Now that some of the earbud manufacturers are dabbling in processing of environmental sound, some people may be able to use consumer grade equipment, particularly younger Boomers and older Gen-Xers, due more to stigma than anything else.
Unfortunately that probably reduces volume of product for everyone else, keeping the mean price roughly the same but jacking up the high end.
Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#46I've been making my own, purely as a pipe-dream to have some hope of walking again, it's not easy but I'm hoping it'll be a better fit than consumer ones, and probably cheaper. I feel like we've made leaps and bounds in prosthetics this past decade but orthotics and exoskeletons haven't been following the trend for some reason. As an engineer I imagine there are some significant design constraints that make it hard b…
I worked in a logistics operation that explored exoskeleton options deeply in 2019. Options were shockingly limited and the best products were not powered in any way - essentially just frames to bolster your body mechanically. Compare to the massive, extremely precise, and power-efficient automated storage and retrieval systems and it just seemed like stone age tech. My takeaway was that powered exoskeleton tech must…
One issue is safety. A powered exoskeleton with any significant fraction of a human's full strength necessarily has the power to maim people including the operator. A robot can just be put in a cage where it can't hurt people, but an exoskeleton can't.
Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
I worked in a logistics operation that explored exoskeleton options deeply in 2019. Options were shockingly limited and the best products were not powered in any way - essentially just frames to bolster your body mechanically. Compare to the massive, extremely precise, and power-efficient automated storage and retrieval systems and it just seemed like stone age tech. My takeaway was that powered exoskeleton tech must…
What sort of power sources do current powered exoskeletons use, and what sort of runtimes do you get? That's where I'd foresee the limitations - that you'd end up hefting 80 lbs of battery for 20 minutes of operation.
Might there be merit to a semi-tethered approach? Enough onboard batteries to last a minute or two when you walk to another room, where you promptly plug in again?
Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#48One of my favorite movies "Edge of Tomorrow" has dope exoskeletons, and while its a movie - thats where this is heading... I am surprised Boston Dynamics hasnt made one! If you converted the agility of Atlas into an exoskeleton, that would be pretty interesting...
Similarly I thought of Death Stranding :)
Though I guess exoskeletons are not uncommon in sci-fi.
Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#49This is incredible! There's something really appealing and enabling about becoming an "exoskeleton pilot".
I feel like it's time to take back the term "walker" from the last century.
Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk
#50This is kind of dangerous. Something like this that is not tested can pretty much kill you if it fails in anyway. You’ll just fall to the ground from about 5 ft, which is often enough to do something bad to your skull.
The discipline of engineering is littered with catastrophes throughout history - everything from bridge collapses to cars loosing braking power like in the old Buicks from the 50s. Yet we still keep innovating because we know that despite the risks involved the reward could be immeasurable.
Besides, this dad doing it for his son is probably taking more care and precaution than some nameless/faceless engineer.
EDIT: clarity