🦿 "Smart" Exoskeletons and Prosthetics Can Think for Wearers
The main problem with prosthetics and exoskeletons is that they are very slow to respond to human actions. We have very little control over our legs consciously. When we need to take a step—we do it, not follow the algorithm: "Lift the foot, choose a place, put a foot down, shift your weight, start falling, put other foot out, break the fall..." Even the fine motor skills of the hands require more attention, while the feet "think for themselves."
Humans have a special area of the brain responsible for this. For example, in octopuses, the tentacles are entirely autonomous in deciding what to do, and the mollusk only "negotiates" with them. It can feel the object by itself or give a signal to the limbs, and it will do everything without the participation of the central brain.
💡 Scientists have chosen to take a similar approach with leg exoskeletons. Healthy individuals can use them to boost their physical capabilities. At the same time, those who have lost their ability to walk due to injuries or illnesses but still have limbs can use them to regain mobility.
In the past, exoskeletons and prosthetic limbs could not think for themselves. Even when pre-calibrated for the wearer, walking modes usually had to be switched manually to climb or descend stairs. Still, the movements were rough and formulaic, very different from natural ones.
But thanks to neural networks, exoskeletons can adapt to the environment and human movements without long adjustments. Engineers from Exoskeleton & Prosthetic Intelligent Controls Lab at Georgia Tech captured the movements of 15 fully healthy people and trained a neural network on this data. It was then uploaded into a leg exoskeleton that uses AI and sensors to decide how to walk independently. The person is still just about to take a step - and the device already understands what they want to do and helps them.
🔜 In the smart exoskeleton, the test subjects could walk with a load, throw a ball, jump, and overcome obstacles—all in adaptive mode. The exoskeleton is not yet comparable to human legs in terms of smoothness and speed of movement. Still, this device promises to be a real breakthrough for patients who are not walking at all.
More on the topic:
🔜 Meta technology will give touch to robots and sensitivity to prosthetics
