2022 Annual Report 2022 | Page 28

Alan Asbeck receives NSF CAREER award to create new type of lower-body exoskeleton

Alan Asbeck , an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering , has been awarded a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development ( CAREER ) award to create a new type of lower-body exoskeleton to augment walking . With the exoskeleton , his team will study the way people walk and adapt to exoskeleton assistance .
Exoskeletons can enable almost superhero-like capabilities for their users , or they can help them restore lost abilities . The devices use actuators or springs to add strength for a user or to help them move , augmenting motions such as lifting or walking . Asbeck has been working in this area for the better part of a decade , creating assistive robotics for projects such as an enhanced lifting support exosuit in partnership with Lowe ’ s home improvement stores .
For the CAREER award , Asbeck is developing a new approach for exoskeletons to aid walking . Typically , lower-body exoskeletons consist of rigid structures strapped to the legs , with an actuator creating torques at each joint . Exoskeletons need to produce the correct force to always complement motion or else they will hinder instead of help movement . In the worst case , incorrect or unanticipated exoskeleton behavior could cause the user to stumble or fall .
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