20 MOMENTUM • VIRGINIA TECH MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Alan Asbeck receives NSF CAREER Award
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