Jacqueline Hannan, a PhD student in industrial and operations engineering, demonstrates walking with an ankle exoskeleton in Stirling’s lab. Photo credit: Brenda Ahearn, University of Michigan Engineering

Researchers at the University of Michigan have created a responsive ankle exoskeleton algorithm that uses direct muscle measurement to handle changes in pace and gait. The algorithm could potentially support a user who switches between walking and running with ease. 

The researchers hope that the algorithm will bring us a step closer to ankle exoskeletons that help people extend their endurance. In particular, the algorithm could help researchers develop exoskeletons that automatically adapt to individual users and tasks, eliminating or greatly reducing the need for manual recalibration in between each task. 

“This particular type of ankle exoskeleton can be used to augment people who have limited mobility,” Leia Stirling, U-M associate professor of industrial and operations engineering and robotics and senior author of the study published in the journal PLOS ONE, said.

“That could be an older adult who wouldn’t normally be able to walk to the park with their grandkids. But wearing the system, they now have extra assistance that enables them to do more than they could before.”

Current exoskeletons typically have to be tailored to a single user performing a single task, like walking in a straight line. Changing tasks or users requires a lengthy set of manual readjustments. This new algorithm has demonstrated the ability to handle different walking speeds as well as changes in gait between walking and running. 

What sets this control algorithm apart from ones typically used in exoskeletons is that it directly measures how quickly muscle fibers are expanding and contracting. It uses these measurements to determine the amount of chemical energy the muscle is using while doing work and then compares that measurement with a biological model to determine the best way to assist movement. 

Current methods use broader measures of motion to determine how to assist movement, making them less accurate than this method, which measures muscle physiology directly. 

The University of Michigan researchers chose to focus on the ankle because of the key role it plays in mobility. The team found that assisting the muscles in the ankle could have a dramatic impact on our ability to walk further and faster. 

While the team was unable to test on humans because they were working during COVID-19 restrictions, they did use data on existing exoskeleton devices and muscle dynamics to simulate and test their algorithm. During testing, the team made adjustments to make their algorithm more responsive to changes in speed and gait. 

The team’s next step will be to perform tasks on humans. During testing, the team will use ultrasound to measure muscle fibers in real time.

The study was funded by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering under Air Force Contract No. FA8702-15-D-0001.

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Ekso Bionics Holdings has purchased the Indego exoskeleton line and the rest of Parker Hannifin’s Human Motion and Control (HMC) business unit. The $10 million deal includes the planned development of robotic-assisted orthotic and prosthetic devices, the companies said.

“The strategic acquisition of Parker’s uniquely-powered and adjustable Indego exoskeletons significantly builds our product offering and extends our market opportunity to the home,” Ekso Bionics executive chair Steven Sherman said. “With the addition of HMC, we intend to grow our global footprint and increase our market position in lower extremity robotic products driven by our shared innovations and leading-edge technologies.”

The FDA cleared the Indego lower-limb exoskeleton systems for clinical and personal use in 2016. Indego Therapy is cleared for the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries or hemiplegia (one-sided paralysis) from strokes. Indego Personal is cleared to help spinal cord injury patients move about their homes and communities.

The Indego Therapy and Indego Personal exoskeletons are also CE marked.

“Indego is one of the most advanced and broadest range of powered and intelligent devices for home use, which represents a strategic fit for Ekso,” Ekso Bionics CEO Scott Davis said. “This acquisition is expected to contribute immediately to our top-line results and establish Ekso as a leader in lower extremity robotics. Moving forward, we plan to continue exploring future growth opportunities that align with our strategy.”

Ekso’s new partner for exoskeleton development

The acquisition also links Ekso and Vanderbilt University, where researchers created the Indego exoskeleton and worked with Parker to commercialize it. Ekso said it expects the Vanderbilt collaboration will “provide a path for future research and product development.”

Founded in 2005, San Rafael, California-based Ekso describes itself as the only exoskeleton company with products that help paralyzed people stand and walk, as well as assist workers in their jobs. The company’s EksoNR robotic exoskeleton won FDA clearance for use with multiple sclerosis patients earlier this year.

“We are pleased to have finalized an agreement with Ekso Bionics as a strategic buyer for our Human Motion and Control business,” Parker chief technology and innovation officer Mark Czaja said in a statement. “This is a great technology with an outstanding team that has built a highly differentiated product offering to help improve gait performance and outcomes for people living with mobility impairments. The acquisition will allow Ekso to leverage their robust commercial and clinical teams to ultimately enable this important technology to reach more patients in need across the continuum of care.”

Editor’s Note: This article was first published by The Robot Report’s sister publication Medical Design & Outsourcing and was republished with permission.

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Engineers at Stanford University have created a boot-like robotic exoskeleton that can increase walking speed and reduce walking effort in the real world outside of the lab. The team’s research was published in Nature. 

The exoskeleton gives users personalized walking assistance, allowing people to walk 9% faster and use 17% less energy per distance traveled. The energy savings and speed boost that the exoskeleton provides is equivalent to taking off a 30-pound backpack, according to the team. 

The goal is to help people with mobility impairments, especially older people, to more easily move throughout the world, and the Standford team believes that its technology will be ready for commercialization in the next few years. 

Using a motor that works with calf muscles, the robotic boot gives wearers an extra push with every step. The push is personalized using a machine learning-based model that was trained through years of work with emulators, or large, immobile and expensive lab setups that can rapidly test how to best assist people. 

Students and volunteers were hooked up to the exoskeleton emulators while researchers collected motion and energy expenditure data. This data helped the research team to understand how the way a person walks with the exoskeleton relates to how much energy they’re using. The team gained more details about the relative benefits of different kinds of assistance offered by the emulator, and used the information to inform a machine-learning model that the real-world exoskeleton now uses to adapt to each wearer. 

To adapt to an individual’s unique way of walking, the exoskeleton will provide a slightly different pattern of assistance each time the user walks. The exoskeleton then measures the resulting motion so that the machine learning model can determine how to better assist the user the next time they walk. In total, it takes the exoskeleton about an hour to customize its support to a new user. 

Moving forward, the Stanford researchers hope to test what the exoskeleton can do for its target demographic, older adults and people who are experiencing mobility decline from disability. The team also wants to plan design variations that target improving balance and reducing joint pain, and work with commercial partners to turn the device into a product. 

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Researchers at ETH Zurich developed Myoshirt, a soft, wearable exoskeleton for the upper body. Myoshirt is designed to act as an extra set of muscles that could give people with restricted mobility increased body strength and endurance.

The Myoshirt is made up of a vest with cuffs for the upper arms, with sensors embedded in the fabric, and a small box that contains all of the technology needed for the exomuscle that isn’t directly used on the body. The sensors gather information for an algorithm, which detects the wearer’s intentional movements and the amount of force required for those movements. 

When the wearer moves, a motor shortens a cable in the fabric that runs parallel to the wearer’s muscles. The cable acts as an additional tendon that supports movement. If something goes wrong, the user is able to override the device at any time. 

In a study of 12 participants, 10 without physical impairments, one with muscular dystrophy and one with a spinal cord injury, the ETH Zurich team found that all participants were able to lift their arms, or objects, for longer while wearing the exomuscle.

The 10 subjects without physical impairments saw their endurance increase by a third, while the subject with muscular dystrophy saw their endurance increase by 60%. The subject with a spinal cord injury was able to exercise for three times as long while wearing the Myoshirt.

“In the next phase, we want to test our prototype outside the lab in the natural environment of future wearers and use the results to further improve it,” Michele Xiloyannis, who works at the Sensory Motor Systems Lab at ETH Zurich and is conducting research for the Myoshirt project, said.

The team also wants to focus on reducing the size and weight of the exomuscle so that it can be worn more comfortably. The prototype actuator and control box weigh 4 kg, and the team plans to reduce the weight by focusing on one core function for the exomuscle, supporting the user’s shoulder when they lift their arm. 

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Ekso Bionics has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its EksoNR exoskeleton. Richmond, California–based Ekso Bionics designed the EksoNR technology for use with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients.

According to a news release, EksoNR is the first exoskeleton device to receive FDA clearance for rehabilitation use in patients with MS, significantly expanding the device’s use to a broader group of patients.

The latest generation of the Ekso Bionics platform, the EksoNR previously received clearance for stroke and spinal cord rehabilitation in 2016, then acquired brain injury (ABI) in 2020. Ekso said it was the first of its kind to receive a stroke indication and stands as the only exoskeleton with indications for ABI and now MS. EksoNR also has CE mark, the company said.

“As a leader in early-to-market wearable robotic solutions for medical rehabilitation, we are committed to maximizing patient access to our technology,” Ekso Bionics Chair and CEO Steven Sherman said in the release. “With the indications for use now expanded to include MS, the EksoNR has the potential to assist significantly more patients and improve patient mobility. We are excited to see the device benefit MS patients, providing critically needed rehabilitation solutions just as it has for patients suffering from stroke, spinal cord injury and acquired brain injury.”

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Sarcos has a rich history of designing and building exoskeletons as shown in their “museum” lineup. | Credit: The Robot Report

I had the opportunity to attend a recent press/analyst briefing at SARCOS robotics headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT on May 19, 2022.

The new SARCOS headquarters is located in a beautifully restored facility in the south west part of the city. The building park is called Industry SLC and the building was originally built in 1943, where the space was once a foundry and cast a number of significant structures around Utah, including some early steam engine components.

Industry SLC is a startup space with dozens of work spaces for young companies. SARCOS is the largest tenant in the space.

SARCOS went public in September 2021 via SPAC. The company merged with Pittsburgh based RE2 Robotics in March 2022 in a deal worth $100M.

This event was the first time that the company has briefed analysts since completing the merger. The company has mapped out the top level executive functions with RE2 Robotics co-founder Jorgen Pedersen moving into the role of COO. Jorgen was a guest on The Robot Report podcast in episode 40.

Kiva Allgood, President and CEO, Sarcos led most of the discussion during the day. The new organization will continue to be headquartered in Salt Lake City at the Sarcos headquarters, but will retain and grow the engineering organization from RE2 with an office in Pittsburgh.

Guardian XO exoskeleton

Guardian XO full-body exoskeleton is the world’s first battery-powered industrial exoskeleton. The company demo’d an alpha unit of the Guardian XO product, and showed it easily lifting a heavy tire. The exoskeleton suit is capable of lifting up to 200 lb (75 kg). 

The demo also included the manipulation of a full sheet of plywood, using a vacuum gripper attached to the arm of the exoskeleton. The operator was able to easily pick up the sheet of plywood, lift it overhead and then let the exoskeleton hold the sheet in place overhead while the operator used another tool, like a screwdriver, to fasten it in place.

The attendees also saw an alpha unit of the next generation of Guardian XO. The next generation will be lighter and more nimble the current version.

Guardian XT teleoperated dexterous robot

The Sarcos Guardian XT is a teleoperated dexterous robot that enables an operator, using stereo VR goggles and motion capture suit, to see exactly what the robot sees and remotely operate the robot’s arms.

This is one of Sarcos’ most successful products. There are a variety of use cases for Guardian XT, all of which remove a human from a potentially dangerous operating situation. This includes tasks such as paint removal for Navy ships, tree cutting and operations in hazardous environments.

As shown the video demo above, the operator uses a hand controller in each hand to position the Guardian XT torso, and then move the arms and hands to grasp and operate hand tools. Guardian XT is designed to manipulate the same hand tools used by a human or specialized end effectors can be created and fitted the end of the arms. This is the case for the tree cutting solution. Sort of a real-life Edward Scissorhands experience.

RE2 Products

The Sarcos headquarters has demo units of each of the RE2 products. This includes the RE2 Sapien robotic arms and the RE2 Sapien Sea Class underwater ROV.

The company stated that all of the RE2 products will continue to be developed, marketed and sold going forward. The company did not offer any look ahead at future products, however there are some obvious synergies with a combined product line.

The Sapien Sea Class ROV is an underwater tele-operated pair of robotic arms. The operation of the Sapien Sea Class ROV and the Guardian XT would likely be a great opportunity for the combination of technologies to come together as the portfolio evolves, although the company offered no guidance here.

Allgood described the immediate opportunity for Sarcos to optimize their manufacturing and supply chain with the combination of companies, as they evolve the products and settle on component providers that can function across the portfolio.

Overall, the merger of Sarcos and RE2 appears to be a win-win for both organizations as they bring different strengths to the table. The combined company has a number of job openings in both Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh and is actively recruiting.

Hands on experience

I had the opportunity to get my hands on both the Guardian XO arm and the Guardian XT in a full demo. The video below documents that experience.

I was surprised just how easy it is use both products. The Guardian XO arm manipulation is intuitive and the learning curve is short. It would have been fun to get a full exoskeleton hands on to experience the walking.

The Guardian XT was also intuitive. Using the head set to see in 3D, it was easy to orient and position the robot arms.

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RoboCT’s UGO exoskeleton robot is used to help people learn how to walk. | Source: RoboCT

Hangzhou RoboCT Technology Development Co., a developer of robotic exoskeletons, announced that it brought in over $15.7 million (RMB 100 million) in series A+ funding. The company plans to use the funding to expand globally and increase its operation and commercialization capabilities. 

RobotCT’s UGO exoskeleton robot is a rehabilitation robot that helps patients who experience motor dysfunction in the lower body learn how to walk. Patients that have suffered from spinal cord injuries, strokes, lower limb muscle weakness and other nervous system diseases have benefited from the robot, which is at work in over 200 hospitals in China. 

The company was the first in China to receive the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) registration certificate for lower-limb exoskeleton robots for central neuropathy. 

“RoboCT’s exoskeleton has received extremely positive feedback from patients and hospitals,” Wang Tian, CEO of RobotCT, said. “We are honored that our dedication has been recognized by the industry and by top institutional investors who share our vision in the early stages of RoboCT’s establishment. We are aware that we are shouldering a great social responsibility and believe we can become a top-tier company within the industry.”

Fortune Capital led the funding round, which also included participation from new investors, like Essence Securities, Poly Capital, and an existing investor, Blue Run Ventures China. 

“We believe in RoboCT’s ability to transform rehabilitation and bring autonomy to people with reduced mobility,” Jui Tan, managing partner at Blue Run Ventures China, said. “Along with the elderly population, rising incidence of physical debilitation holds the key to the growth of assistive robotics in China. The widespread use of exoskeleton robots is an inevitable trend in the future.”

According to RoboCT, the company has produced over 100,000 UGO exoskeletons so far. The company claims its strong supply chain has allowed it to push production costs down, allowing it to pump out the exoskeletons at a much larger scale. The company offers its exoskeleton as a robot as a service (RaaS), making adoption easier for hospitals. 

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Sarcos plans to ship its Guardian XO and XT to customers in 2023. | Source: Sarcos

Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation earned $1 million in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021, a drop from the $3.4 million it made in Q4 2020. Sarcos suffered a net loss of $34.1 million in the quarter, compared to $3.9 million in the same quarter in 2020.

Sarcos creates exoskeletons and dexterous robots. It has already begun testing on its Guardian XO Beta unit, as well as its Guardian XT robotic avatar beta unit. It plans to begin production of commercial units of the XO and XT in 2022, with customer deliveries beginning in 2023.

For the full year 2021, Sarcos brought in $5.1 million in revenue, a decrease from the $8.8 million for the full year in 2020. Operating expenses in 2021 totalled $86.1 million, an increase from $29.8 million the year before. Much of the increase in operating expenses and the increase in net losses for the company comes from stock-based compensation, as well as higher general and administrative expenses from becoming a public company.

Sarcos merged with Rotor Acquisition Corp and went public in a SPAC merger that was finalized during Q3. This merger, announced in April 2021, came as yet another announcement of a SPAC-based public listing announcement. It began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol STRC in September 2021.

In Sarcos’ non-GAAP reporting, which excludes expenses from stock-based compensation as well as one time expenses related to the merger, it reported $14.7 million in net losses.

“The fourth quarter was one of major developments for Sarcos,” Kiva Allgood, president and CEO of Sarcos, said. “The completion of our initial Guardian XT Beta unit on schedule and the successful move into our new headquarters were testament to the hard work and dedication of the team. I’m thrilled to have joined Sarcos at this pivotal time in our product evolution and I am delighted at the progress we have continued to make as we have started initial testing of key elements of our Guardian XO beta unit. We believe that the recently announced planned combination with RE2, upon consummation, will enable us to offer a wider range of products to customers and significantly bolster our team of robotics experts, which makes us even more excited for the future.”

Sarcos announced earlier this week it is acquiring RE2 Robotics for $100 million. The deal consists of $30 million in cash and $70 million of Sarcos common stock, and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.

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Harvard researchers used a portable ultrasound system strapped to the calves of participants to image their muscles to test an exoskeleton. | Photo Credit: The Harvard Biodesign Lab/Harvard SEAS

Harvard University and Boston University received a grant award of $3,057,320 to support the development of next-generation robotics and wearable technologies. Researchers aim to improve the lives of people with neuro-motor impairments and to help individuals achieve ambitious fitness goals, driving innovation in a new category of rehabilitation, diagnostic, and assistive devices that are more lightweight, affordable, and connected.

Led by Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the project involves a collaboration with Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, as well as with industry partners that are poised to bring innovations to market. The first two industry partners are ReWalk Robotics, which designs and develops powered exoskeletons that provide gait training and mobility for lower limb disabilities, and Imago Rehab, a startup founded by Harvard engineers in 2021 to improve recovery outcomes for stroke survivors through a combination of home-use wearable robotics and digital health.

The new award was made by the Innovation Institute at the MassTech Collaborative from the Massachusetts Collaborative Research and Development Matching Grant program that invests in critical research and development (R&D) infrastructure statewide.

“Massachusetts is a global leader in both technology and healthcare because of our support for important research, the ability to leverage our network of partnerships, and our constant focus on fostering innovation,” said Governor Charlie Baker.  “With these additional resources, we can advance the development of new assistive devices that will have applications for patients around the world.”

“Across the state, our Administration has made key investments that boost research and development programs staffed by our top students and faculty researchers,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “As one of our leading institutions, Harvard has a strong track record of commercializing their research, turning great ideas into new products for use around the world. Robotics and med devices are two areas where Massachusetts is a global leader, and this new investment will help keep us there.”

Combined with existing resources, this grant will support a $6 million effort to equip Harvard facilities with the R&D infrastructure necessary to develop and evaluate wearable product prototypes. With support from Harvard’s Office of Technology Development and aligned industry partners, the initiative will help to push these prototypes into commercial products that can drive growth in the Commonwealth’s world-class robotics, digital health, and apparel sectors. An emerging relationship with Bunker Hill Community College will help to grow the Massachusetts workforce in these fields with new work and training opportunities for students.

Activities will be centered at the Harvard Move Lab with guidance by Faculty Director Conor Walsh and Executive Director David Perry. Walsh is delivering a keynote at the upcoming Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum. The Harvard Move Lab is a newly launched initiative whose mission is to support advances in human performance enhancement with the collaborative space, funding, R&D infrastructure, and experience necessary to turn promising research into mature technologies. The initiative serves as a connector for groups across Harvard schools, local institutions, and industry partners who share this mission. Located in Harvard’s new Science and Engineering Complex, the Harvard Move Lab joins a strong innovation ecosystem in Allston next to Harvard Business School and Harvard Innovation Labs.

“We are grateful for the Commonwealth’s leadership in fostering a thriving innovation ecosystem, ” said Francis J. Doyle III, Dean of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “This collaboration between government, academia, and our state’s robotics sector positions us to push the frontiers of knowledge, create new technologies, and most importantly, deliver life-changing solutions to patients.”

The funding will support four specific research projects initially within Harvard and BU’s broader initiative to commercialize research that can protect physical abilities against injury, extend them beyond the limits of advancing age, and restore them to people who have lost them. They include:

• Ankle device for home or community-based gait training after stroke
• New sensing and diagnostic approaches for high-dose/high-frequency rehab at home that can be enabled for a soft robotic glove
• Lower limb neuroprosthesis for electrical stimulation of muscles
• Wearable sensors and algorithms for strength and movement assessment by medical and fitness professionals

Three of these devices directly address stroke recovery, an unfortunately fast-growing market with millions in need, with the fourth transferring that knowledge to the strength and movement training market. All four products will be ready for product-market testing within 24 months, bolstering the Massachusetts robotics and medical device clusters through development in the emerging field of soft robotics and creating a direct pathway to commercialization, which will improve the lives of patients in Massachusetts and beyond.

“Assistive robotics is poised to have a major impact on a host of industries, from manufacturing to healthcare,”
said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “Through our investment in this new research and development partnership, we can accelerate those impacts in key areas of healthcare, while also expanding research and learning opportunities for students and faculty.”

To date, the Collaborative R&D Matching Grant program has awarded more than $31 million, leveraging more than $50 million in matching contributions from outside partners. This includes 10 projects that have supported innovative industry/academic collaborations and investment in novel R&D infrastructure to bolster the Massachusetts tech and innovation economy statewide.

“Our Innovation Institute team launched information sessions on the R&D grant program, designed to uncover new research collaborations that can advance our tech and innovation ecosystem,” said Carolyn Kirk, Executive Director of the MassTech Collaborative. “The proposals that receive grants are reviewed by an independent advisory group, which identify the key qualities that we look for in investments: ability to grow jobs, collaboration with the private sector, and engaging in areas of research and development where Massachusetts can play a global leadership role.”

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Atalante is a lower-body exoskeleton used for rehabilitation. | Source: Wandercraft

Wandercraft, a Paris-based developer of exoskeletons, raised $45 million in Series C funding. The company plans to use the funding to develop and launch a personal exoskeleton for outdoor and home use, as well as to accelerate the deployment of Atalante, Wandercraft’s rehabilitation exoskeleton, in the United States.

Atalante is a self-balanced, lower-body exoskeleton that emulates the way humans walk. The company began clinical trials for the exoskeleton in 2017. It was CE marked in 2019.

The exoskeleton is designed to allow the wearer to freely move their upper body and torso with the company’s hands-free feature. The exoskeleton is used to help physical therapy patients walk faster and with more ease.

“We are super excited to have attracted world-class investors from the USA and Europe to advance the development program of the company,” Matthieu Masselin, CEO of Wandercraft, said. “With the support of patients, medical professionals and the DeepTech community, Wandercraft’s team has created a unique technology that improves rehabilitation care and will soon enable people in wheelchairs to regain autonomy and improve their everyday health.”

The funding round was led by Quadrant Management, an investment firm based in New York. It included participation from Bpifrance, SofiOuest, XAnge, Eurazeo, LBO France and Cemag Invest. Part of the funding also came from health insurance companies like MACSF, Malakoff Humanis, AG2R La Mondiale and Mutuelle Impact.

“Wandercraft has succeeded in developing a revolutionary exoskeleton for the treatment of patients whose daily autonomy has been impaired,” Stanislas Subra, head of investments at MACSF Group and a member of Wandercraft’s board of directors, said. “It is only fitting that we are delighted to participate in the rapid development of a French innovation alongside healthcare professionals.”

Wandercraft also announced that Alan Quasham, the chairman and CEO of Quadrant Management, is joining Wandercraft’s board of directors.

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The Ascend robotic knee brace is a non-opioid, non-surgical solution for knee pain. | Photo Credit: Roam Robotics

Roam Robotics is partnering with the San Francisco VA Health Care System and the Northern California Institute for Research and Education to study the impact of its Ascend robotic knee brace on the veteran population.

Ascend is intended to help those with knee pain, particularly those who struggle with osteoarthritis, perform everyday tasks, like walking, going up stairs or standing up. The brace is made with lower cost, lightweight materials, making it easier to use and more accessible.

“I am excited to evaluate Roam Robotics’ Ascend powered knee-brace in veterans with knee osteoarthritis who experience considerable knee pain when performing day-to-day activities,” said Dr. Alfred Kuo, chief of orthopedic surgery at the San Francisco VA Health Care System “Veterans suffer from musculoskeletal conditions such as knee arthritis at higher rates than the general population. We don’t have great treatment options for many of these patients, especially ones who have moderate disease. The Ascend brace has the potential to substantially improve pain, stability, and function.”

The brace provides support for extending and bending movements using a pneumatically-powered actuator. The knee brace is controlled by a SmartPack worn by the user. The SmartPack controls both the pneumatic and electrical power for the device and a microcontroller that runs the system.

In a clinical study, the Ascend robotic knee brace was found to reduce pain in 46% of participants, and improve functionality in 67% of participants.

“Roam’s technology has been proven previously to provide benefits to a wide variety of patients suffering from knee pain, weak quadriceps or instability,” said Sujit Dike, vice president at Roam Robotics. “We are very excited about this partnership with the San Francisco VA. It can further validate the potential impact of Roam’s technology in addressing an enormous and growing challenge for the Veteran population.”

Roam Robotics was founded in 2013 by Dr. Tim Swift. The company introduced Ascend in April of 2021. Ascend is Roam Robotics’ first commercial product. Previously, it worked with the U.S. military on Forge, an exoskeleton used to increase soldiers’ endurance, speed and strength. Roam Robotics is also working on a robotic skiing exoskeleton called Elevate.

Ascend can be preordered now, but the product is expected to be available to customers in July 2022.

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Researchers used a portable ultrasound system strapped to the calves of participants to image their muscles. | Photo Credit: Harvard Biodesign Lab/Harvard SEAS

The way we walk constantly changes. We change speed and adjust to inclines without even thinking about it. This variability is what makes walking difficult to recreate with exoskeletons. But researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed an approach that automatically adjusts a soft exoskeleton based on how the wearer is walking.

Typically, customizing exoskeletons to the way someone walks requires hours of manual or automatic tuning. This process can be challenging for a healthy person, and sometimes nearly impossible for older adults or clinical patients.

SEAS researchers are taking a unique approach to developing their exoskeleton. Instead of focusing on the dynamic movements of the limbs of the wearer, they created a muscle-based assistance strategy.

With this strategy, a portable ultrasound system takes ultrasound measurements of the calf muscles. These measurements estimate the amount of force produced by those muscles. Using these measurements, researchers develop a personalized assistance profile. The exosuit then automatically prescribes the amount of assistance needed for different walking speeds and slopes. The exosuit provides lower assistance force to help someone walk.

“We used ultrasound to look under the skin and directly measured what the user’s muscles were doing during several walking tasks,” said Richard Nuckols, a postdoctoral research associate at SEAS and co-first author of the paper. “Our muscles and tendons have compliance which means there is not necessarily a direct mapping between the movement of the limbs and that of the underlying muscles driving their motion.”

What sets this method apart from previous ones is the exoskeleton’s ability to automatically determine the assistance a person needs for different walking speeds and slopes. The exosuit only requires a few seconds of walking to capture the muscle’s profile.

This exosuit can adjust quickly to real-world conditions, according to the researchers. When researchers measured the metabolic energy used with and without the suit, they found that the suit significantly reduced the amount of metabolic energy used.

The research is a collaboration between the Harvard Biorobotics Lab and the Harvard Biodesign Lab run by Conor J. Walsh, the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at SEAS. SEAS researchers plan to move forward by testing how the system does with constant real-time adjustments.

SEAS’ full research can be found here.

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Sarcos’ Guardian XT is expected to hit the market at the end of 2022. | Image credit: Sarcos

Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation, a manufacturer of exoskeletons and dexterous robots, released its first financial results as a public company. It reported a net loss of $37 million in the third quarter of 2021 and $1.1 million in revenue. It had a net loss of $6.9 million for the third quarter of 2020.

Sarcos reported $41.6 million in operating expenses, which is up from $8.4 million in Q3 of 2021. Sarcos said the increases in expenses and losses are due to the one-time expenses associated with the merger with Rotor Acquisition Corp.

Sarcos merged with Rotor Acquisition Corp and went public in a SPAC merger that was finalized during Q3. This merger, announced in April 2021, came as yet another announcement of a SPAC-based public listing announcement.

In Sarcos’ non-GAAP reporting, which excluded expenses from stock-based compensation as well as one time expenses related to the merger, it reported $8.8 million in losses. In the same quarter in 2020 it reported $8.4 million in losses.

“Our merger with Rotor Acquisition Corp. has given us the liquidity we needed to further develop our unique, award-winning technology, and we believe it will be sufficient to bring our Guardian XO industrial exoskeleton and Guardian XT industrial robotic avatar systems to market,” said Ben Wolff, chairman and CEO of Sarcos.

Sarcos ended Q3 with $239 million in unrestricted cash. It began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol STRC in September 2021.

A huge day for our entire team. Thank you, @Nasdaq. https://t.co/wJtccTWe4O

— Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation (@Sarcos_Robotics) September 27, 2021

In August 2021, Sarcos announced a partnership with T-Mobile to integrate T-Mobile 5G into the Guardian XT highly dexterous mobile industrial robot. This collaboration will develop a remote viewing system that would allow workers, supervisors, experts and others to watch the robot perform tasks remotely. It would also allow operators greater flexibility in performing tasks with the robots from a distance.

Sarcos expects to complete its beta version of the Guardian XT robotic system by the end of 2021. By the end of 2022, it expects to begin commercial production on the Guardian XT.

You can read Sarcos’ Q3 2021 quarterly earnings report .

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MyoPro is a powered arm and hand orthosis designed to restore function to the wearer’s paralyzed or weakened upper extremities. | Credit: Myomo

Myomo (NYSE:MYO) shares got a big boost after hours today on third-quarter results that came in ahead of the consensus forecast. Myomo shares were up 10.9% at $11.52 per share after hours.

The Boston-based medical robotics company posted losses of $2.1 million, or 36¢ per share, on sales of $4.4 million for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2021. Myomo said this is a 128% increase year over year and is the highest quarterly revenue in the company’s history.

Myomo said 133 patients received orders and insurance authorizations for a MyoPro powered arm brace. It said that its backlog, which represents insurance authorizations and orders received but not yet converted to revenue, was a record 177 units as of September 30, 2021, up 11% from June 30, 2021. The reimbursement pipeline as of September 30, 2021 consisted of 920 MyoPro candidates.

Myomo’s losses per share of 36¢ came in 10¢ ahead of Wall Street, where analysts were looking for sales of $3.2 million.

“We are proud to be reporting both the highest quarterly revenue and the highest direct billing channel revenue in the Company’s history,” Myomo Chairman & CEO Paul R. Gudonis said in a news release. “These achievements demonstrate the continued success of our transition to being a direct provider of the MyoPro to our patients. Our focus is on growing the pipeline and backlog to position the company for a strong start to 2022, while remaining ever mindful of our mission to improve the lives of people with upper-limb paralysis.”

Myomo did not provide specific financial guidance for 2021, but Gudonis noted that the company expects to report strong year-over-year revenue growth, despite expected short-term challenges in the fourth quarter, including a temporary labor shortage at one of the company’s subcontractors.

The company has a record number of units in backlog and said it will be difficult to make up all the delayed shipments by year’s end, so those deliveries and associated revenue may be realized in early 2022.

Editor’s Note: This article was republished from sister publication MassDevice.

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Ottobock’s Paexo Back exoskeleton reduces strain on the back when lifting heavy objects. | Credit: Ottobock

Ottobock and suitX, two exoskeleton developers, are teaming up. Ottobock is acquiring suitX to combine their respective exoskeleton portfolios. Terms of the deal were undisclosed, but Ottobock is acquiring 100% of suitX shares.

Ottobock is a leading developer of prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeletons. Its Paexo exoskeleton line includes solutions for the back, wrist, thumb, and neck. The suitX portfolio of occupational exoskeletons includes backX, legX, and shoulderX to reduce the risk of injuries among workers. Phoenix is suitX’s lightweight and FDA-approved exoskeleton that allows individuals with spinal cord injuries to be upright and mobile. suitX is also developing a new line of exoskeleton products to support wearers during recreational activities.

suitX is a spinout of the Robotics and Human Engineering Lab at the University of California, Berkeley. It was founded by Dr. Homayoon Kazerooni in 2012. Prior to launching suitX, he founded exoskeleton maker Ekso Bionics in 2005. Ekso went public in 2014.

suitX will become part of Ottobock Bionic Exoskeletons, the company’s division for the development of occupational exoskeletons. The management of Ottobock’s global Bionic Exoskeletons business, which runs under the brand name Paexo, will continue to be handled from Duderstadt, Germany.

“Together with suitX, Ottobock’s exoskeletons business Paexo will become a world leading provider of exoskeletons in production, logistics, servicing, and the trade sector,” said Ottobock CEO Philipp Schulte-Noelle. “We will jointly create significant socio-economic benefits by improving occupational health for employees while reducing sickness absence and treatment costs for companies and healthcare systems. This transaction increases our footprint and network in North America and comes at the perfect time as we expect the market for occupational exoskeleton solutions to grow dynamically in the coming years.”

“This step is a success not only for suitX but also for the University of California, Berkeley, where entrepreneurial endeavors are fostered to their greatest extent for the good of humans worldwide,” said Kazerooni. “I’m looking forward to bringing our technologies to communities internationally with Ottobock for better quality of life. That’s what it is all about, and it makes me very happy.”

“Our exoskeletons offer a huge relief of physical burdens for the workforces in many industrial and logistic workplaces,” said Dr. Soenke Roessing, head of Ottobock Bionic Exoskeletons. “Shortage of skilled labor, an aging workforce, increasing importance of employee safety and injury prevention as well as a growing awareness of injury costs will contribute to the dynamic growth of the market. We expect that recent technological advancements in weight, ergonomic fit and functionalities, paired with increasing affordability will fuel adoption rates in the industry.”

The suitX exoskeleton legX reduces the risk of injuries among workers. | Credit: suitX

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