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Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

reuters.com

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Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#61

Post by ad404b8a372f2b9 »

justinclift wrote: post #52
ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #3

I'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…

What's the control method you've been using? eg for input to direct the actions

None, it's not the exact same problem in that I have control of my legs just not enough to walk with them or support my weight.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#62

Post by namlem »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #3

I'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…

Some of the unpowered exoskeletons are pretty impressive, and all things considered, $10-20k isn't that crazy a price. After all, they are not really being mass produced, and are pretty complex mechanical systems. I'd love to see a big company like Caterpillar get on board and start pumping them out for construction purposes.

The powered ones are still too expensive for anything but the most niche applications sadly.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#63

Post by manmeet »

This is amazing. I built one to help my nephew walk, and now selling commercially ( http://trexorobotics.com )

I am fed-up at the lack of options available to individuals. People thought that everyone will get an exoskeleton and be able to walk with it everywhere. But the industry ran into many challenges.

A big one that many dont understand is getting insurance coverage. The way the US healthcare system is designed, it will only cover restoration of mobility, not a restoration of function. So, from their perspective, a wheelchair and some pain meds can do the job easily.

I believe that they key is to start with children, this is where you have families desperate for a solution, higher costs due to them growing and spending their entire life in a wheelchair, and the option to truly have a life changing impact.

But things are changing, people are starting to notice the work that we are doing. We need a lot more people building exoskeletons and similar powered orthotics!!

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#64

Post by seph-reed »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #3

I'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…

Just for the love of ideating: if ones arms were working, it seems like there may be some way of essentially diverting arm strength between movement, and handling.

Kind of like picking up one leg at a time with your arm, while the other stays locked through some ratchet system.

It's just a hazy idea, but it could definitely help with the power issue. It's pretty much the same principle as a wheel chair in that regard.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#65

Post by mustafa_pasi »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #3

I'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…

If you don't already you should document your project on Youtube. It's a super cool project and I'm sure you can even get lots of Patreon sponsors that way and even commercial ones probably.

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#66

Post by KONAir »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #57
the_lonely_road wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is its the same thing limiting everything else. Power. Batteries more specifically. We just don't have a way to power anything for very long that doesn't have a cable attached to a wall attached to a power station. Honestly the ability for humans (and other living creatures) to just DO SO MUCH on just a little bio mass each day is astounding.

I imagine it's part of it, but even when you look at unpowered devices there seems to have been shockingly little innovation when you compare what was available in the 1800s and today. It's still a few flatbars with leather/velcro fasteners, the main improvement has been with materials like carbon fiber to lower the weight but that's about it. There's some interesting patents like air cushions to improve fit and some…

-I have next to no clue what I am talking about- Wouldn't a "wheelchair as powerbank" be the best solution to get people as mobile as possible?

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#67

Post by justnotworthit »

zeteo wrote: post #55
modeless wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> A robot can just be put in a cage where it can't hurt people, but an exoskeleton can't. This would have made a great premise for an Asimov story.

A robot poses as an exoskeleton to escape captivity?

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#68

Post by dalbasal »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #3

I'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 think both exoskeletons and prosthetics suffer from similar issues. To reach affordability, you need unit volume. To get unit volume, you need an initial user segment capable of paying what such a device currently costs. In computing, for example, there's always someone willing to pay for bleeding edge, which then paves the way to price reduction. With these, there just isn't much daylight between prices where basically no one can afford it, and prices where everyone who needs one can.

People like you are the best hope. Independent inventors aren't bound by manufacturing economics.

Side question: how much power does it take to run existing, mobility oriented exoskeletons?

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#69

Post by Fiahil »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #3

I'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…

Have you seen what this, from a few years ago ? Your project is different, but it can be a good inspiration !

https://www.ted.com/talks/hugh_herr_the_new_bionics_that_let...

Re: Father builds exoskeleton to help wheelchair-bound son walk

#70

Post by blairbeckwith »

manmeet wrote: post #63

This is amazing. I built one to help my nephew walk, and now selling commercially ( http://trexorobotics.com ) I am fed-up at the lack of options available to individuals. People thought that everyone will get an exoskeleton and be able to walk with it everywhere. But the industry ran into many challenges. A big one that many dont understand is getting insurance coverage. The way the US healthcare system is designed,…

Just wanted to say thanks for building this.
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